RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN DIGITALIZATION AND COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE: AN APPLICATION IN MEDIUM AND LARGE-SIZED ENTERPRISES

The present research aims to analyze the mediating effect of strategic brand management in the relationships between marketing agility, technical and social function of digital platform and brand digitalization on brand performance. A convenience sampling method was used to collect data through a survey questionnaire. The survey instrument was used to collect data from 302 respondents from the private sector in Türkiye. The research was conducted with at least expert-level participants, who were responsible for managing the brand's digital and/or traditional channels. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze and interpret the data. Strategic brand management (SBM) plays a key mediating role in the relationships between variables such as marketing agility, technical and social functions of digital platforms, and brand digitalization with brand performance. The results of hypothesis testing show that in several cases the direct effect on brand performance was insignificant until SBM was introduced as a mediator. This underlines the importance of SBM. This study makes a contribution to the existing literature by examining the reflections of a developing country like Türkiye, which also has a young population, on its interest in digital technologies in the private sector. In addition, it provides a detailed account of the effects of strategic brand management on brand performance.