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platforms, customer analytics tools, and predictive behavioral modeling, has enabled
firms to enhance marketing efficiency and customer experience management (Chaffey &
Ellis-Chadwick, 2019). In platform-mediated environments, SMEs increasingly rely on AI-
enabled advertising optimization and real-time performance tracking to improve
conversion rates and strengthen market competitiveness. Moreover, the expansion of
cross-border e-commerce and digital logistics systems has further reinforced the strategic
importance of digital marketing capabilities in supporting international market
participation.
Overall, the evolution of digital marketing in Vietnam demonstrates a progressive
shift from traditional communication-based promotion to ecosystem-oriented,
technology-driven marketing innovation. This transformation reflects not only
technological advancement but also the structural reconfiguration of value creation
processes within the digital economy, where firms, digital platforms, and customers
engage in continuous interaction and collaborative value co-creation.
1.3. Research gap and research objectives
Despite the growing body of literature on digital marketing and digital
transformation, existing studies have largely examined these phenomena from
fragmented perspectives. Prior research has predominantly focused on firm-level digital
adoption capabilities, customer behavior in online environments, or the governance
mechanisms of digital platforms as separate analytical domains. While these studies
provide valuable insights into the drivers of digital marketing performance, they often
overlook the interconnected and ecosystem-based nature of marketing innovation in
platform-mediated commercial environments. In particular, limited scholarly attention
has been devoted to understanding how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs),
digital platforms, and customers interact dynamically to co-create marketing value and
innovation outcomes.
Furthermore, although the Triple Helix theory has been widely applied to explain
collaborative innovation processes among government, academia, and industry, its
application in digital marketing and platform economy contexts remains relatively under-
explored. The emergence of algorithm-driven digital ecosystems and AI-enabled
marketing technologies has fundamentally altered traditional innovation structures,
creating new forms of interdependence between firms, technology platforms, and
digitally empowered consumers. This transformation highlights the need for an integrated
conceptual framework that captures the spiral interaction mechanisms among these
actors in shaping digital marketing innovation and firm performance.
Against this background, the present study aims to address the identified research
gap by developing a Triple-Helix ecosystem framework that explains the mechanisms
through which platform technological support, SME digital marketing capability, and
customer engagement jointly influence digital marketing innovation outcomes.
Specifically, the study pursues three main research objectives. First, it seeks to synthesize
multidisciplinary theoretical perspectives from digital marketing, platform economy, and
collaborative innovation literature in order to construct an integrated conceptual model.
Second, it aims to examine secondary industry evidence to contextualize the proposed
framework within the evolving digital marketing landscape, particularly in emerging
platform-based markets. Third, the study intends to generate managerial and policy
implications that can support SMEs in enhancing competitive resilience and adaptive
marketing strategies in the AI-driven digital economy.

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