Shaping emerging marketing trends: the role of academia–business collaboration, marketing orientation and digital transformation adoption

Purpose This study aims to analyse the role of academia-business collaboration and marketing orientation in digital transformation in the context of emerging trends in marketing. Design/methodology/approach The Delphi method was used, involving a panel of 45 experts in marketing, academia-business collaborations and digital transformation, consulted in successive rounds to achieve consensus on theoretical propositions derived from the literature. Findings The findings confirm the initial propositions and reveal a set of emerging marketing trends that are driven by the adoption of digital technologies. Areas such as artificial intelligence, personalisation, automation and digital ethics are among the trends identified by experts. It was found that the collaboration between academia and companies improves the marketing orientation in business organisations and can facilitate the adoption of digital transformation. However, this effect depends on organisational factors. Research limitations/implications Although based on a qualified and contextually relevant panel, the qualitative nature of the study can limit the generalisability of its findings. Future research should test these results through a quantitative study. Practical implications The results provide an orientation for companies to build partnerships with academia to stimulate innovation and strengthen market competitiveness. Originality/value The study fills a gap by providing empirical evidence on the relationship between academia-business collaboration, marketing orientation and digital transformation adoption.