Basheer Ismail Mahmoud (1)
General Background This study addresses the growing need for data-driven marketing practices in dynamic business environments. Specific Background Iraqi firms face limitations in proactive marketing due to underdeveloped marketing information systems. Knowledge Gap Empirical evidence explaining how marketing information systems support proactive marketing in this context remains limited. Aims This research aims to examine the relationship between marketing information systems and proactive marketing within Iraqi companies. Results Using a descriptive and analytical approach with questionnaire data from 126 respondents and SPSS analysis, the findings reveal a strong statistical relationship, with marketing information systems explaining a substantial proportion of variance in proactive marketing practices. Novelty The study provides empirical validation from an underrepresented regional context using comprehensive statistical testing. Implications The findings suggest that strengthening marketing information systems supports anticipatory marketing practices, informed decision-making, and organizational readiness in competitive markets.
Keywords: Marketing Information System, Proactive Marketing, Decision Support Systems, Market Intelligence, Iraqi Firms
Key Findings Highlights:
Marketing data integration supports anticipatory market actions
Statistical analysis confirms a strong system-based relationship
Organizational readiness depends on structured information flows
Marketing has emerged as a crucial concern in economically developed nations due to its capacity to discern and fulfill client needs and aspirations, alongside their purchasing power, while fostering a sense of alignment and congruity between items and customer requirements. The prosperity of a commercial enterprise is no longer contingent upon engineering and innovations, as these have attained a significant standard in industrialized nations. The success of these enterprises hinges on addressing marketing challenges, delivering items, and fulfilling consumer needs. This also pertains to economically developing nations, who have been prioritizing marketing by using the expertise of established countries. Numerous nations have commenced recognizing the need of examining and implementing diverse marketing strategies, along with the rationale for this interest in marketing.
A marketing information system serves as a framework for the collection, storage, analysis, and dissemination of critical marketing data pertaining to both internal and external sources. It offers marketers and other professionals convenient access to precise and dependable data that aids in making significant and crucial decisions aimed at business expansion. It serves as a method to oversee the extensive data that organizations possess, which information managers and marketing professionals require to make informed selections. Marketing information systems vary from traditional paper-based methods to advanced computer systems.
Proactive marketing refers to the strategy of promoting your product or service in locations where potential customers are not actively seeking it. Individuals seeing your product or service are engaged in unrelated activities, such as perusing the daily newspaper, viewing local news broadcasts, or navigating their social media feeds. Although these individuals constitute your target demographic, they require a compelling advertisement capable of diverting their attention from their initial purpose and motivating them to engage with your ad by calling your phone number, entering your domain name, or clicking a button that directs them to your website.
The interruption will result in a lower conversion rate for proactive marketing compared to reactive marketing activities. Proactive marketing is highly effective as it may engage those who are not actively seeking your products or services, and this demographic often exceeds those who are searching for them. Proactive marketing may generate awareness of your product or service, engage individuals in the deliberation phase until they are prepared to purchase, and enhance brand recognition, which is essential for consumer recall at the point of sale.
The study's issue is in the influence of digital advancements on all scientific disciplines, including marketing sciences. This underscores the significance of marketing information systems and the degree to which proactive marketing is implemented, therefore clarifying the study challenge. It was determined that, although certain aspects of proactive marketing are implemented in most firms, there exists a deficiency in the comprehension of proactive marketing as an innovative management strategy, as well as a lack of awareness about marketing information systems. The research challenge might be delineated using the subsequent inquiries: To what degree are the elements of proactive marketing used in the organizations being examined? To what degree may the implementation of marketing information systems influence the facets of proactive marketing in organizations?
The study methodology illustrates the correlation between the implementation of proactive marketing aspects as a contemporary marketing trend and corporate marketing information systems. This was accomplished by suitable statistical analysis of a questionnaire administered to 126 persons employed in corporate marketing. The study hypothesis was established based on the presence of differences among the study variables within the population at a significance level of 0.05 under diverse situations. This hypothesis posits that there exists a statistically significant relationship between marketing information systems and proactive marketing inside organizations.
3. The conceptual foundation of marketing information systems and proactive marketing:
3.1. Marketing Information System: An information system serves as "the organization's communication language, deliberately designed to represent certain facets of its operations in a swift, objective, and cost-effective manner" [1]. It is defined as "an organized assembly of individuals, equipment, software, communication networks, and data resources that gather, process, and disseminate information to facilitate decision-making, collaboration, and control within the organization" [2], This signifies: material and human resources, the interplay between these resources, and the relationship between the organization and its external environment, hence addressing its requirements. [3]
Kotler defines a marketing information system as a network of interrelated relationships comprising human and material resources and processes associated with the collection, analysis, evaluation, and dissemination of precise and timely information that empowers management to make informed marketing decisions. [4] It is characterized as "a synthesis of individuals, apparatus, and methodologies that engage with one another and function incessantly, oriented towards the future, aimed at gathering and optimizing information that aids in marketing decision-making within the organization" [5] It signifies a multifaceted structural provision of personnel, resources, and methodologies, culminating in a stream of critical information sourced from both internal and external entities within the organization, predominantly utilized for decision-making across various roles within the marketing department. [6] Several advantages that a firm attains via the utilization of a marketing information system may be delineated: [7]
3.2. Elements of the Marketing Information System: The marketing information system comprises subsystems, primarily: [8]
3.3. Proactive Marketing:
Proactive marketing refers to a strategic approach where firms anticipate changes in the marketplace and act in advance to meet future customer needs and preferences. In the context of the aging population, proactive marketing involves not just reacting to current demands but also identifying and addressing future opportunities that arise from demographic shifts [10]. In addition, the proactive marketing is a strategic approach that emphasizes anticipating and addressing future customer needs even before they are explicitly recognized. Overall, proactive marketing orientation is essential for companies aiming to lead in innovation and performance [11].
Proactive marketing is a strategic that emphasizes anticipating consumer needs and market trends rather than merely reacting to them. Its key components include ( anticipation of Consumer Needs and Strategic Planning, Integration with Corporate Strategy, Use of Public Relations, Cultural Capital), Overall, proactive marketing emphasizes a forward-thinking strategy that focuses on consumer satisfaction, and the integration of market insights into business operations [12] [13] He indicated that proactive marketing to a strategic plan where a business anticipates customer needs and market trends rather than merely reacting to them. It involves actively seeking opportunities to introduce new products or services to fulfill latent customer needs and gain a competitive edge, Key aspects of proactive marketing identified in the research include (Customer Learning Dynamism, Market Leading Implementation, Product Innovation Intelligence, and Competitor Potentiality Forecasting). The research emphasizes that firms that leverage these proactive marketing capabilities are more likely to achieve their marketing goals, leading to enhanced market survival, particularly in the dynamic environment. Through market management, proactive approach and customer engagement have become a key driver for building customer value. This enables more proactive companies to achieve superior business performance, gaining a competitive advantage through a clear understanding of proactive behavior. This understanding allows them to fully satisfy customer needs and anticipate future needs, leading to superior customer value [14]
Defined proactive marketing as the organization’s ability to search for new information and knowledge about customers with the aim of identifying their latent needs and discovering additional needs that customers are unaware of [15] by adopting customer learning, market sensing, and market communications approaches. Enabling it to lead market changes by relying on innovation and risk management approaches so that the organization is proactive in improving its competitive position. Proactive marketing is a strategic approach that focuses on actively seeking out and engaging potential participants or customers, particularly those who may be underserved or hard to reach [16]. In addition, Proactive marketing is critical during recessions for several reasons outlined in the paper [17]:
The research [19] indicates that there are some digital and non-digital tools that help proactive marketing achieve precedence and compete with other organizations. These are as follows:
3.4. Dimensions of proactive marketing: Here Are the Key Aspects of Proactive Marketing Based on the Papers [21]:
3.5. A Comparative Analysis of Traditional Marketing and Proactive Marketing: The distinction between conventional and proactive marketing may be encapsulated as follows: [23]
Proactive marketing is often defined by its flexibility, efficiency, and precision in audience targeting. Conversely, traditional marketing is defined by its emotional resonance, feeling of community, and direct engagement with the audience. Companies may get optimal outcomes and create an ideal equilibrium between traditional and proactive marketing through the use of integrated marketing strategies. [24].
3.6. The Influence of Marketing Information Systems on Proactive Marketing :
In the current competitive landscape, capitalizing on opportunities is essential for the sustainability and survival of entrepreneurial enterprises. Organizations implementing this method might attain substantial and unforeseen advantages, positioning themselves as leaders through considerable investment in prospects. These firms not only identify future trajectories but also transform the dynamics of competitive operations within their sectors, therefore establishing competitive advantages. They also position opponents to need a response to triumphs. Recognizing and assessing possibilities is a formidable endeavor, and the performance of firms in this regard is unsurprising [25]. It is instead achieved via ongoing observation and assessment of the demands and preferences of customers in the market, business sectors, and distribution networks. Opportunities may also be discerned through dialogues with vendors or corporate management, as facilitated by marketing information systems. [26], companies must leverage marketing information systems technologies to proactively promote and capitalize on prospects.
4. Applied aspect: used was SPSS to analyze the data and test the validity of the study hypothesis. Descriptive analysis methods were employed, relying on the values of the arithmetic mean, standard deviation, correlation coefficient, and determination for a sample of 126 individuals:
The table indicates that the highest average value was 4.36, reflecting the consensus among sample members regarding the essential role of marketing information systems and their components in proactive marketing, with a standard deviation of 0.628. Conversely, the lowest arithmetic average was 2.80, as the majority of sample members disagreed on the effective and direct impact of information systems on decision-making, accompanied by a standard deviation of 0.899. The study sample generally concurs on the majority of the questionnaire items.
4.2. Hypothesis Testing: Inferential statistical analysis was used to test the study's hypothesis (there is a statistically significant effect of the relationship between marketing information systems and proactive marketing in companies). To test the validity of the hypothesis, multiple regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between the independent variables related to the dimensions of marketing information systems and the dependent variable, which includes the dimensions of proactive marketing, and to test the extent to which the independent variables influence the dependent variable.
The table above demonstrates the explanatory power of the regression model. The results indicate a strong direct relationship between the dependent variable (proactive marketing) and the independent variable (marketing information systems), with a value of 0.708. The R² value also indicates that the independent variables combined explain 89% of the total variance in the dependent variable (proactive marketing). There are other factors that influence proactive marketing by 11%, which the regression model did not reflect, according to the sample members' opinions.
Table 3 shows the overall significance of the regression model. It is clear from the table that the F value is equal to 6.250 at a significance level of 0.00, i.e. less than 0.05. This indicates that the regression model is statistically significant, and that the independent variables contribute significantly to the impact on proactive marketing (the dependent variable). From the above, the hypothesis can be accepted, as there is a significant relationship between marketing information systems and proactive marketing in companies.
In conclusion, a marketing information system is an essential component in supporting proactive marketing strategies, providing accurate data and in-depth analysis that enables companies to predict market trends and make quick and effective decisions. By employing this system, organizations can achieve a competitive advantage, improve customer responsiveness, and enhance customer satisfaction, ultimately leading to increased market share and sustainable success.
Moreover, technological advancements and artificial intelligence enhance the efficiency of marketing information systems, helping companies analyze big data with greater accuracy and explore new growth opportunities. Therefore, investing in these systems is not an option, but rather a strategic necessity to ensure adaptation to ongoing market changes and promote innovation in marketing methods, paving the way for long-term success in a competitive business world. The hypotheses were tested, and the hypothesis was accepted at a significance level of 0.000.
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