Crisis-driven innovations in marketing

Abstract

Activities performed from the conception of the product to the delivery to support the business have been at the center of marketing. Crises like COVID-19 have brought pivotal changes and innovations in marketing functions and processes. This paper aims to curate and organize what firms did regarding innovation in marketing during the unprecedented crisis of COVID-19 and may do in crises-driven situations. Our analysis captured organizational responses collected from 957 respondents grouped into four drivers of innovations in marketing, namely marketing mix, process, technology, and strategy. The results revealed that, though marketing mix as a driver of innovation remained crucial as the backbone of marketing activity, it was followed by process and strategy, which became prominent in a crisis-driven environment. This study also shows that technology could be a facilitator of drivers and cannot be seen as a replacement for marketing processes. This can assist organizations in understanding how businesses on various fronts in marketing innovate, survive, and grow more vital during a crisis, further aiding managers in comprehending and creating marketing strategies in turbulent times.