Navigating a global pandemic crisis through marketing agility: evidence from Italian B2B firms

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to explore the impact of marketing agility on the business-to-business (B2B) firms’ capacity to address unexpected events such as the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, examining how they reshape their strategies during the different stages of a crisis. Design/methodology/approach This study follows a theory-building approach and performs an in-depth exploratory multiple-case study in the context of 16 Italian firms operating in the B2B sector. Findings The study develops an event-sequence-based framework and illustrates how agile marketing strategies empower B2B firms to cope with a crisis across three crucial moments: the event phase, the response management phase and the investigation phase. Originality/value This paper contributes to a better understanding of marketing agility in the context of crisis management by showing the agile marketing strategies that B2B firms adopt during the different stages of a crisis. This work provides a useful foundation to assist managers in coping with market uncertainty. It suggests practical guidelines to make more informed strategic and operational marketing decisions, increasing a firm’s capacity to act in today’s fast-moving, complex times.

The acceleration of digital communications in the durable goods industry. A study on white goods firms after COVID-19

“…In the short term, digital tools ensured the continuity of core activities (Moi and Cabiddu, 2022). Because of restrictions, companies relied on digital communication tools in their daily practices and enhanced the adoption of social media.…”

“…Indeed, according to Runfola et al (2021), the effects of the pandemic on the usage of digital communication tools within the marketing strategies of B2B companies are an interesting topic for exploration. Moreover, previous scholars (Moi and Cabiddu, 2022; Yaghtin et al , 2021) invited future studies to investigate how B2B firms addressed unexpected events such as COVID-19.…”

How did corporate responses to the Covid‐19 pandemic correspond with CSR?

“…These social interactions ought to translate into some level of agility – at least to the extent of stimulating an organization's ability to manage a crisis. CSR acts in this context as a tool as part of a firm's crisis prevention strategy, rather than as a resource used to hastily repair the damage in the aftermath (Al‐Omoush et al, 2022; Ivory & Brooks, 2018; Moi & Cabiddu, 2022).…”

Flexibility and the pandemic

“…So, at the beginning of the crisis, the marketing efforts employed may have looked different to when the pandemic and the resulting restrictions were at its peak. The work by Moi and Cabiddu (2022) sought to investigate the ability of B2B firms to overcome a crisis such as the pandemic through marketing agility.…”