Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Research

Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Research

The impact of digital content marketing on achieving sustainable competitive advantage in the tourism industry: The mediating role of responsible innovation

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
nima soltaninejad 1
Seyed Mohammad Hosseini 2
seyyed ali hosseini 3
1 New Business Department, Faculty of Entrepreneurship, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
2 Department of Business Creation, Faculty of Entrepreneurship, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
3 Department of Tourism Management, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/eir.2025.531816.1196
Abstract
Objective: Technological advancement enables companies to enhance competitiveness and meet evolving customer needs (Calatayud et al., 2018; Pratono, 2024). Sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) arises when competitors cannot easily imitate a firm’s strategies (Battour et al., 2021). Responsible innovation (RI) supports SCA by fostering information sharing, social responsibility, and innovation that limits imitation (Johannessen & Olsen, 2009). At the same time, digital content marketing (DCM) has become vital for building SCA, as it helps attract and retain customers through engaging online content. However, the mediating role of RI in the DCM–SCA relationship remains underexplored, representing a key research gap addressed in this study.
Method: A standard questionnaire with 36 items on a five-point Likert scale was used to collect data. The study was conducted in Tehran during the autumn and winter of 2024–2025 among tourism industry professionals. From a population of 2,800 individuals, a sample of 338 was selected based on the Krejcie–Morgan table. The questionnaire’s validity was confirmed by experts, and its reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha: digital content marketing (0.85), responsible innovation (0.96), competitive advantage (0.78), and overall (0.86), indicating good internal consistency.
Findings: A standard questionnaire was used to collect the data. The instrument comprised 36 items on a five-point Likert scale. The study was conducted in the autumn and winter of 1403 (2024–2025) in Tehran, Iran. The statistical population consisted of tourism industry professionals (N = 2,800), from which a sample of 338 respondents was selected using the Krejcie–Morgan sample size table. Face validity was assessed by a panel of subject-matter experts. Reliability was evaluated with Cronbach’s alpha (SPSS): digital content marketing (α = 0.85), responsible innovation (α = 0.96), and competitive advantage (α = 0.78); the overall alpha for all items was α = 0.86. Given that values closer to 1.00 indicate higher internal consistency, these coefficients demonstrate good reliability for the questionnaire.
Conclusion: This study examines the impact of digital content marketing (DCM) on sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) in tourism and the mediating role of responsible innovation (RI) using a structural equation model. Results show that DCM, through content information, entertainment, social interaction, and self-expression, significantly influences SCA (β = 0.375, T = 2.123) and RI (β = 0.631, T = 4.564). DCM enhances customer engagement, brand awareness, and the analysis of customer behavior, helping attract and retain customers and strengthen competitive advantage.
Keywords
Digital Content Marketing
Responsible Innovation
Sustainable Competitive Advantage
Tourism

Subjects

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