Drivers of Digital Marketing Capabilities in Emerging-Market Multinational Enterprises

The constraints of a home-country business environment characterized by institutional voids habitually challenge emerging market firms to properly develop their digital marketing capabilities. Nevertheless, emerging-market multinational enterprises (EM-MNEs) transform their marketing capabilities by developing and applying digital marketing competencies. Leveraging upper echelons theory, this study empirically explores how prior international experience of the top management team fosters digital marketing capabilities of EM-MNEs, mediated by their international strategic orientation and moderated by their marketing experience. Findings from the Indian context suggest that firms’ international strategic orientation increases as the top management team members’ international experience increases. In turn, the international strategic orientation that develops enhances EM-MNEs’ digital marketing capabilities in their efforts to adapt to evolving customer demand and competition in international markets.