Assessing Digital Transformation Acceptance in Public Organizations’ Marketing

Abstract

Digital transformation has a substantial impact on the activities of public organizations. The way public organizations conduct marketing has also changed due to digital transformation. This paper evaluates how digital transformation influences public organizations’ marketing activities in their employees’ perception and examines the changes triggered by digital technology in public marketing. The research results are based on the literature review empirical studies based on a survey conducted among 425 employees of public organizations in Romania in the marketing field. Using the technology acceptance model and structural equation modeling to analyze and interpret the data, the paper demonstrates that digital technologies have a substantial impact on marketing, in the perception of technology users, in helping to build relationships with the public, and in increasing citizens’ trust in public organizations. Digital technologies, by their significant characteristics (innovativeness, social influence, accessibility, and rapidity), have a significant impact on all public marketing activities. However, they are substantially transforming quantitative marketing research activities due to the digitization of financial accounting and managerial information systems, as well as interactive and transparent communication and public relations activities. Public organization managers must explain the benefits of digital marketing to employees from the internal branding perspective as well as the effectiveness of public marketing activities.