Digital Leapfrogging and Marketing Innovation in Emerging Economies

Abstract

Digital leapfrogging—bypassing legacy technologies and adopting advanced digital solutions—has become a defining pathway for growth in emerging economies. This paper examines how leapfrogging accelerates marketing innovation by reshaping customer acquisition, distribution, payments, trust, and personalization under conditions of institutional gaps, infrastructure constraints, and rapid mobile adoption. We synthesize interdisciplinary literature and develop a conceptual framework that links (a) enabling conditions (mobile-first connectivity, platform ecosystems, fintech rails, and data availability), (b) capability shifts (agile experimentation, frugal martech, vernacular experience design, and trust engineering), and (c) marketing innovation outcomes (new-to-market business models, inclusive segmentation, and scalable go-to-market strategies). We propose testable propositions and a mixed-method empirical design suitable for emerging-market contexts. Managerial implications emphasize building “minimum viable trust,” leveraging interoperable digital public infrastructure where available, and innovating for low bandwidth, low literacy, and high price sensitivity. Policy implications address competition, data governance, interoperability, and SME enablement. The paper concludes with a future research agenda around AI-mediated inclusion, platform power asymmetries, and resilience under shocks