Product details
- ISBN 9781032960296
- Dimensions: 156 x 234mm
- Publication Date: 31 Jul 2026
- Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Paperback
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The Art of Purposeful Engagement examines marketing in arts and cultural organisations as a form of cultural practice rather than a purely promotional function. Drawing on contemporary theory, sector experience, and real organisational contexts, the book reframes marketing as relational work concerned with meaning, trust, participation, and public value.
Rather than treating marketing as a set of tools or channels, the book situates communication within the broader cultural and social environments in which organisations operate. It explores how purpose, audience understanding, organisational identity, and ethical responsibility shape communicative choices, and how these choices influence legitimacy, relevance, and cultural leadership. Particular emphasis is placed on empathy and the vital role of communication in bridging cultural experiences and audiences, recognising that engagement is built through understanding as much as exposure.
Central to the book is the argument that effective cultural marketing is not about amplification alone, but about alignment. When purpose, practice, and communication are brought into conversation, marketing becomes a means through which organisations articulate who they are, how they relate to their communities, and what forms of value they seek to create. In doing so, the book contributes to international dialogues on culture, leadership, and the evolving relationship between cultural organisations and the societies they serve.
While written with arts and cultural organisations in mind, the frameworks and approaches developed here speak to wider debates about cultural value, institutional responsibility, and leadership in value-driven organisations.
Samuel Cairnduff is an arts and cultural management academic and practitioner whose work focuses on cultural leadership, strategic communication, audience engagement, and empathy-led practice. He lectures at the University of Melbourne in Arts and Cultural Management and Media and Communications.
This is his second book with Routledge. His first, Harmonising Cultural Leadership in Professional Orchestras (2025), drew on his doctoral research to examine how cultural institutions navigate purpose, public value, and organisational leadership. Together, his books contribute to international conversations on culture, leadership, and the intersection of cultural institutions and society.
Samuel brings a practitioner’s perspective shaped by a fifteen-year career as a professional musician. He spent five years travelling internationally as a performer on cruise ships and, during his time in London, was engaged as resident pianist at The Dorchester, The Savoy, and Claridge’s. Alongside his performance career, he founded a London-based production, communications, and artist management company, working with artists including Marvin Hamlisch, Charlie Watts, and Dame Patricia Routledge.
He later served as Director of Marketing and Public Affairs at the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and now leads RESONATE // Cultural Leadership, a consultancy working with orchestras, festivals, and arts organisations across Australia on strategy, communications, and audience engagement. He is the creator and host of Decoding Cultural Leadership and a regular presenter on ABC Classic.
