The effect of marketing capabilities on marketing agility and perceived performance

Purpose This study utilizes the principles of dynamic capabilities to examine the interrelationships among marketing agility, marketing capabilities and perceived market and financial performance. It further investigates the mediating effect of marketing agility on perceived performance through marketing capabilities. It offers a novel perspective on how organisations derive value from implementing big data marketing analytics (BDMA) programmes. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional online survey of 236 marketing professionals in the United States and Canada was conducted using SurveyMonkey. The data were analysed with SPSS, and the structural model was examined using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Findings The results indicated that marketing agility positively predicted marketing capabilities, which subsequently had a favourable effect on organisational performance. Therefore, marketing agility allows marketers to execute their roles more effectively, ultimately contributing to firm success. The results showed that the marketing capabilities construct mediated the relationship between marketing agility and performance. Originality/value The findings confirm the critical and joint importance of dynamic marketing agility and ordinary marketing capabilities for excellence in market and financial performance within the dynamic market context of BDMA. By employing a structural equation model, this research demonstrates the relationships among all three variables, thereby enhancing our understanding of mediation and effect sizes and how these constructs work together to improve firm performance.