For the Project & Thesis course, my first choice was to go with the City Library and my second choice was Tampere University. However, when the selections were made by the lecturers, I got the opportunity to select a thesis for the City Library. Currently, three theses are ongoing and from the discussion I had with the collaborator, I’ve got to know that the main objective of these theses would be to enhance customer engagement.
If you ask why I selected the City Library for this thesis project, I would say it is because of my love for the books. Reading books enriches our minds, broadens our perspectives, and nourishes the soul. It feels like a timeless adventure of discovery, learning, and compassion that provides a window to other realities while fostering our personal growth. Talking about libraries reminds me of a quote I love and that is;
“You can get lost in any library, no matter the size. But the more lost you are, the more things you’ll find”
– Millie Florence, Lydia Green Of Mulberry Glen
Since this course guides us toward the individual thesis, I wanted to integrate my studies with something I love and that’s why I chose the Tampere City Library.
Since I have an academic background related to Commerce and Finance, I decided to integrate my marketing knowledge into this project with the intention of enhancing customer/ user engagement. One of the vital concepts in marketing is the “Marketing Mix”. The idea behind the marketing mix is that decision-makers should implement a variety of policies to cater to the needs of the customers while developing marketing plans and initiatives. Libraries also can implement marketing strategies in order to satisfy user needs, demands and increase engagement. There are two types of marketing mixes, namely, 4Ps and 7Ps. 4Ps include product, place, price, and promotion whereas 7Ps include three key elements other than the 4Ps; people, packaging, and process. However, I plan to proceed with the 4Ps of Marketing Mix considering the impact it has on the enhanced citizen engagement and involvement of the City Library with special reference to international community.
To give a better understanding of the concepts, I contemplated sharing my experience of my first visit to the “Metso” City Library in relation to the 4Ps.
Products (including services) of the library include all the services offered on three floors of the library and all the e-services; traditional library services, electronic services, educational services, and website and online library services. Place in 4Ps mostly describes the channels via which the product is delivered to the customer, including outlet locations and coverage. The City Library is one of the main landmarks located in the center of Tampere. The name “Metso” means “Wood Grouse” in Finnish and represents organic architecture with a cultural heritage. The atmosphere inside the library is pleasant and visually appealing. When it comes to price, library users are allowed to borrow books from the library for free and get printing services for a reasonable cost. However, there can be instances where a cost is involved such as when returning books after the agreed period and loans. With regard to promotion, I came across diverse activities that are available for the users; both adults and children. Even the PIKI Library card has different types and based on user preference, they can get a vibrant library card.
With reference to the above discussion, I developed my preliminary research topic as;
“Enhancing Sustainable Customer Engagement through Marketing Mix: With reference to International Library users”.