CHALLENGES WHEN DIFFUSING INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS THROUGH DIGITAL MARKETING - A qualitative research study exploring the major challenges when diffusing innovative products through digital marketing based on a case study of a diving equipment company

Abstract

The main objective with this study was to explore the major challenges when diffusing innovative products through digital marketing. The purpose of this research was to bring clarity in what challenges managers for innovative products face when using digital marketing practices, such as Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing, Influencer Marketing and SEO/SEM to diffuse their products. In the era of digitalization there has been an increasing use of digital marketing in various industries. Thus, digitalization provides new opportunities for companies to diffuse their innovations which hence leads to new challenges. The empirical data of the study consists of interviews from a case company, Poseidon Diving Systems, and their potential customers. The results are structured around several categories from both the case company and the potential customers, accordingly. Finally, it was concluded that the major challenges when diffusing their innovative product through digital marketing was to stand out in the digital mass, communicate product value and to be credible and visible. The study contributes to the research areas of diffusion of innovation and digital marketing, through establishing a potential connection between the two subjects, and sheds light on an observed, yet uninvestigated topic in literature.