Defining Marketing in the Digital Age: An Opportunity to Advance Marketing Thought and Practice

Our study consolidates and refines diverse marketing definitions that have emerged over six decades to formulate a contemporary definition encapsulating the discipline’s current practices and theoretical advancements. We investigate how diverse conceptualizations of marketing can be synthesized into a modern definition that accurately reflects current practices and theoretical advancements while providing practical guidance. Using qualitative document analysis methodology, we conducted first- and second-cycle coding on existing marketing definitions from academic literature and industry publications, identifying recurring themes through thematic analysis. Our findings reveal that marketing can be effectively conceptualized through the DIVE framework (Dynamism, Interconnectivity, Value co-creation, and Exchange), positioning it as a dynamic, value-driven process benefiting multiple interconnected actors in service ecosystems within evolving settings. This research contributes to marketing theory by bridging traditional and modern perspectives while providing practitioners with a unified conceptual framework emphasizing adaptability, customer centricity, and sustainability in navigating the complex and rapidly changing marketing landscape.