Artificial intelligence in business-to-business marketing: a bibliometric analysis of current research status, development and future directions

Abstract

PurposeAlthough the value of artificial intelligence (AI) has been acknowledged by companies, the literature shows challenges concerning AI-enabled business-to-business (B2B) marketing innovation, as well as the diversity of roles AI can play in this regard. Accordingly, this study investigates the approaches that AI can be used for enabling B2B marketing innovation.Design/methodology/approachApplying a bibliometric research method, this study systematically investigates the literature regarding AI-enabled B2B marketing. It synthesises state-of-the-art knowledge from 221 journal articles published between 1990 and 2021.FindingsApart from offering specific information regarding the most influential authors and most frequently cited articles, the study further categorises the use of AI for innovation in B2B marketing into five domains, identifying the main trends in the literature and suggesting directions for future research.Practical implicationsThrough the five identified domains, practitioners can assess their current use of AI and identify their future needs in the relevant domains in order to make appropriate decisions on how to invest in AI. Thus, the research enables companies to realise their digital marketing innovation strategies through AI.Originality/valueThe research represents one of the first large-scale reviews of relevant literature on AI in B2B marketing by (1) obtaining and comparing the most influential works based on a series of analyses; (2) identifying five domains of research into how AI can be used for facilitating B2B marketing innovation and (3) classifying relevant articles into five different time periods in order to identify both past trends and future directions in this specific field.

Power negotiation on the tango dancefloor: The adoption of AI in B2B marketing

“…The role and function of AI in business is of increasing interest amongst marketing scholars (Han et al, 2021), given the prediction that this technology will disrupt marketing theory and practice (Davenport et al, 2020). Firms are attracted to AI by two primary drivers: technological capabilities and cost reduction.…”

“…While Pettey (2018) defends the idea that the challenges associated with AI are the same as other novel and unproven technologies, ; suggest that firms face challenges that are specific to AI technology, and call for empirical research that explores its deployment in marketing. One challenge relates to the technical requirements for AI to perform to its potential (Han et al, 2021). Namely, without access to large and high quality datasets, or the technological infrastructure to process them, firms will not be able to benefit from the AI promise (Dimitrieska, Stankovska, & Efremova, 2018).…”

“…In summary, although AI can potentially benefit B2B firms, whether they can tap into the promises of AI very much depends on their capability to access key technological and knowledge resources, such as data, task-fit models or their capability to query algorithms. Firms may struggle to develop these digital assets internally and may have to outsource them, becoming dependent on their service suppliers (Quinn, Dibb, Simkin, Canhoto, & Analogbei, 2016), which highlights the need to study the whole ecosystem surrounding the implementation of AI solutions Han et al, 2021).…”

“…The current literature provides scant empirically-based, practical guidance to B2B managers (e.g., Han et al, 2021;Upadhyay et al, 2021), even though AI is expected to disrupt marketing practice. This gap is addressed by offering the following implications emerging from our study which translate into advice to focal firms for their AI adoption, as well as more general observations for AI suppliers, and tech giants.…”

“…This article uses the metaphor of a bustling tango dancefloor to represent the power exchanges between focal firms and different types of suppliers when adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) marketing solutions. AI has advanced many aspects of B2B marketing activities, with scholars predicting that this technology will disrupt marketing theory and practice (Davenport, Guha, Grewal, & Bressgott, 2020;Han et al, 2021). Nevertheless, the adoption of AI does not go without its challenges, as it requires knowledge and expertise to perform to its full potential .…”