Exploring the relationship between reputation, museums, cities, and digital technologies

Museum reputation has become a critical factor in enabling museums to fulfill their mission, as it significantly influences potential visitors' decisions to visit, donors’ and sponsors’ willingness to fund cultural activities, and the ability to attract staff, volunteers, and other supporters. Museums' online communication and actions impact their reputation and contribute to shaping the reputation of the cities they are located in. Museums enhance the city's reputation by fostering a sense of belonging, community, and quality of life among citizens, influencing mental associations related to the city’s name, and reinforcing the city's distinctiveness, attractiveness, and perceived authenticity. This dissertation explores the concept of museum reputation, the impact of online activities on this reputation, and its interconnectedness with the territorial context in which museums operate. Firstly, it offers a narrative literature review of these themes, proposing a conceptual framework and systematizing the antecedents, consequences, and dimensions of reputation, as well as how museums contribute to the city's reputation. The research then presents two empirical case studies: the Uffizi Galleries in Florence and the civic museums of Brescia. The first case examines Uffizi’s online communication strategy and its impact on the museum’s reputation by analyzing online newspaper articles. The second case focuses on how museum online communication contributes to the city's reputation by analyzing Brescia’s city policies and museum activities over the past twenty years that have aimed to promote the city as a cultural hub. This study aims to enrich the literature by exploring new opportunities for museums to generate cultural, social, and economic value within their territories through online communication channels. Specifically, it investigates the concept of reputation as an intangible asset that is increasingly essential for museums' mission and sustainability. Additionally, it examines the emerging role of museums and their online activities in enhancing the competitiveness of cities.