Quantifying the relationship between e-advertising capabilities and marketing mix cost savings

With the rapid rise of digital marketing, e-advertising has emerged as an increasingly important channel for businesses. However, academic inquiry into e-advertising's holistic impact across all marketing mix elements is limited. Most studies focus exclusively on isolated aspects of e-advertising, resulting in a significant literature gap regarding its integrated benefits. This research addresses this void by investigating the relationship between e-advertising innovation/cost-effectiveness and the four P's of marketing - product, pricing, place and promotion. The study employs a quantitative, cross-sectional survey methodology to collect data from 605 online and mobile consumers in India. Structural equation modelling analysis reveals that e-advertising innovation and cost-effectiveness have significant positive associations with the product, pricing and promotion components of the marketing mix. However, the relationship with place is non-significant. These results provide empirical evidence that e-advertising can enhance cost efficiencies associated with developing products, optimising pricing approaches and implementing promotional campaigns. However, e-advertising may not substitute for traditional distribution and location considerations. The findings make key theoretical contributions by responding to calls for holistic e-advertising assessment across the marketing mix. The results offer vital data for practice to inform resource allocation and strategic integration of e-advertising across marketing functions.