Leading digital transformation through an Agile Marketing Capability: the case of Spotahome
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Leading digital transformation through an Agile Marketing Capability: the case of Spotahome Ludovica Moi1 · Francesca Cabiddu1 Accepted: 28 September 2020 © The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Scholars and practitioners both acknowledge that agility is crucial in leading a digital transformation effort. However, empirical and theoretical research on agile capabilities in an international digital marketing setting is severely lacking. Drawing on qualitative research design methods, this exploratory single-case study involving the international digital firm Spotahome provides an empirical and theoretical investigation of a new marketing capability we define as an Agile Marketing Capability. We identify its key theoretical dimensions and provide empirical guidelines to facilitate its implementation. This study has important implications for international marketing managers, suggesting what strategic actions are needed to deploy agile practices in their marketing strategies and processes from a practical perspective, in the context of an Agile Marketing Capability. Keywords Agile Marketing Capability · Marketing capabilities · International marketing · Digital business · Single-case study
1 Introduction In today’s business environment, firms are being pushed to rethink their business models, offerings, and processes in light of the challenges and opportunities posed by what is generally known as digital transformation (Daspit 2017; Killian and McManus 2015; Onetti et al. 2012; Rogers 2016). The term encompasses the myriad changes that digital technologies elicit in a company’s business model, such as changed products and organizational structures, streamlined processes, and enhanced customer experiences (Fitzgerald et al. 2014; Hess et al. 2016). This * Ludovica Moi [email protected] Francesca Cabiddu [email protected] 1
Department of Economics and Business Sciences, University of Cagliari (Italy), Viale Sant’Ignazio 74, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
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has produced more “aggressive” marketplaces, where highly competitive, innovative and agile start-ups that leverage their abilities to quickly identify and respond to new business opportunities, are jeopardizing the stability of long-standing firms (D’Aveni et al. 2010; Roberts and Grover 2012a, b). Scholars and practitioners alike deem marketing capabilities as a crucial source of a company’s competitive advantage, especially in today’s volatile markets and in international contexts. Marketing capabilities represent the means by which firms gather and exploit market knowledge to swiftly modify their businesses according to market-driven changes (Barrales-Molina et al. 2014; Bruni and Verona 2009; Orlandi 2016; Xu et al. 2018). The constant state of flux that characterizes the current business environment has led marketers to apply agile methods and practices to shorten cycle time, increase flexibility, and sharpen competitiveness (Barkema et al. 2002; Goldman 1995; Grewal and Tansuhaj 2001; Sebastian et al. 2017), and to swif
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