Abstract
Purpose – Marketing in libraries has been widely discussed in literature, but is often limited to either
prescriptive writing on the application of marketing theory to libraries, or descriptions of marketing at
individual libraries with little theoretical basis. The purpose of this paper is to investigate marketing
to teens as practiced by public libraries, and to discover whether the application of marketing mix
concepts to practice is a conscious decision by libraries.
Design/methodology/approach – Staff were interviewed at two large New Zealand public
libraries to discover whether they considered marketing targeting theory and marketing mix concepts
when marketing to teens.
Findings – It was found that while both libraries did some formal teen marketing, the majority of
marketing was conducted more informally by individual branch libraries. Libraries struggled in
particular with defining their teen users, and the marketing mix was dealt with in an ad hoc manner.
Overall, library marketing was more tactical than strategic.
Originality/value – Library managers can review their development of marketing strategies for
teens in the light of the findings described in this paper. A closer application of marketing concepts can
help with the development of marketing plans.