Mobile marketing and innovation in tourism industry

Despite the fact that mobile marketing is acknowledged as one of the most personal and effective approaches to marketing, research on mobile marketing during times of crisis is limited. Following the COVID-19 outbreak, mobile marketing blossomed in order to capture the attention of customers, providing an opportunity to study how mobile marketing may assist companies overcome the crisis and uncertainty. The current study attempts to investigate the impact of the crisis on mobile marketing and how innovation helps companies apply mobile marketing in the crisis through an analysis of mobile marketing content and strategies before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, using three cases from the tourism industry in China. According to the findings, mobile marketing is a significant marketing strategy in times of crisis and uncertainty since it offers companies an effective communication channel with customers and brings marketing benefits. Furthermore, innovation enables companies to respond rapidly to the crisis and supports their post-crisis recovery. Further, based on the integration of mobile marketing and innovation, customer value co-creation was attainable during lockdowns. These findings have practical implications for businesses that strive to recover and grow after the crisis.