Harnessing Marketing Agility: How Tech Startups Drive New Product Creativity and Performance

The modern corporate environment is characterized by growing volatility, driven by intensified global competition and rapid technological progress. Advances in communication infrastructure and deeper global integration have eroded traditional international, regional, and cultural barriers, helping to diminish information asymmetries in technology, expertise, and customer data—and thereby easing competitive pressures. In recognition of the outsized role that startups play in fueling innovation, generating employment, and bolstering economic resilience, many governments are shifting their policy emphasis from established conglomerates to emergent ventures. By implementing startup-centric regulations, policymakers aim not only to incite disruptive breakthroughs in industries but also to decentralize economic power, fostering a more inclusive, diversified marketplac. Yet, as globalization deepens, localized disruptions—whether technological upheavals, pandemics like COVID-19, or geopolitical crises such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict—escalate into worldwide economic shocks.

Historically, government programs favored large firms under the assumption that they would drive substantial job creation. However, as economies have transformed, reliance solely on big corporations has fallen short of employment goals. Consequently, there is now a deliberate pivot toward nurturing startups and building robust entrepreneurial ecosystems. Technology-oriented startups, despite their elevated risk of failure, are increasingly viewed as indispensable engines of the national innovation system and new anchors of economic expansion.

Several forces underpin this policy realignment. A global surge in entrepreneurial activity—bolstered by digital technologies, lower barriers to market entry, and a cultural embrace of innovation and risk—has created fertile ground for new ventures. Shifts in consumer expectations reward nimble startups capable of rapid market response, often outpacing slower-moving incumbents. At the same time, evolving venture capital landscapes have made investors more willing to back high-potential startups. Together, these trends underscore the role of startups as vital contributors to sustained innovation and economic growth.

Startups distinguish themselves by harnessing technology, specialized expertise, and entrepreneurial agility to swiftly develop and deliver products. Their success hinges on adaptability and continuous innovation, especially in sectors defined by rapid change and truncated product lifespans. Yet, limited resources compel startups to make strategic trade-offs: prioritizing research and development demands substantial investments in talent, capital, and time—resources that are often scarce and critical to survival. Despite these challenges, startups remain pivotal to economic development, even though converting innovative concepts into profitable ventures remains a formidable task.

Across industries, companies recognize that the ability to pivot quickly in response to environmental shifts—what scholars call “agility”—is central to competitive success. Failure to detect and address emerging threats or opportunities can stymie strategic initiatives. Research highlights the necessity of perpetual innovation and product adaptation in fast-moving markets. Within this framework, “marketing agility” refers specifically to the capacity of marketing functions to realign strategies swiftly with evolving market dynamics, consumer needs, and competitive moves—a capability essential for firms pursuing rapid growth and market leadership.

Although marketing agility is widely acknowledged as crucial, there is still a dearth of empirical studies dissecting its dimensions and consequences. Distinguishing general organizational agility from marketing agility is vital to understanding how marketing adaptability influences customer engagement, brand positioning, and market performance. Accordingly, this study investigates how different facets of marketing agility affect the creative process behind new products in startups, and how those creative outcomes translate into overall product performance. It also examines the moderating effect of technological turbulence—rapid and unpredictable technological change—on the relationships among marketing agility, product creativity, and performance in technology startups.

Keywords:

marketing agility in startups, startup product innovation, new product creativity, tech startup performance, adapting to technological turbulence, entrepreneurial agility, agile marketing strategies, startup ecosystem growth, product development agility, innovation-driven startups