Mapping the evolution and intellectual structure of innovation marketing research: a comprehensive bibliometric analysis (1972-2025)

Type of the article: Research ArticleAbstractInnovation marketing has emerged as a critical research domain due to rapid digital transformation, evolving consumer behaviors, and increasing sustainability demands that fundamentally reshape modern business strategies. However, the intellectual structure and thematic evolution of this interdisciplinary field remain fragmented, with terminological ambiguities and isolated knowledge silos hindering theoretical development and practical advancement. This study systematically maps the intellectual structure and thematic evolution of innovation marketing research through comprehensive bibliometric analysis spanning 1972-2025. Data were retrieved from the Scopus database, yielding 10,453 scholarly documents after filtering duplicates and irrelevant materials, analyzed using the “Bibliometrix” package in R Studio with productivity metrics, citation analysis, co-word analysis, and cluster analysis techniques. The results reveal exponential growth with an annual growth rate of 11.04, particularly accelerating after 2000, with four distinct research clusters emerging: digital transformation technologies (23.4%), sustainable marketing innovations (19.8%), consumer-centric methodologies (21.2%), and strategic innovation management (18.6%). The United States leads publication volume with 1,048 documents (17.26%), followed by China with 681 documents (11.22%), while Belgium demonstrates highest citation impact with 66.15 citations per article. Notably, 67% of highly-cited articles appear in non-marketing journals, confirming interdisciplinary influence, with the most cited work by Pushpakom et al. (2018) receiving 3,064 citations. Innovation marketing has evolved from product-focused approaches toward integrated, technology-driven, and sustainability-oriented strategies, establishing itself as a distinct research domain with significant cross-disciplinary impact for marketing practitioners and policymakers.