Objective:
The digital transformation in the banking industry in recent years has not only transformed the way financial services are provided, but also created a new concept of interaction between digital banking and customers. The emergence of digital banking has led to new communication channels, big data processing, and artificial intelligence replacing many traditional methods. This has highlighted the need to pay attention to digital marketing in the country's banking system in line with global developments. However, global experiences show that relying solely on technology, without considering human values and needs, can lead to a kind of "technologicalism" that weakens the trust, loyalty, and emotional bond of banking industry customers. Therefore, a step beyond banking and digital marketing is the need for an approach in which human-centeredness is not sacrificed to technology and the socio-ethical position of customers is still maintained. In this regard, 5G marketing, as a model that combines technological intelligence and attention to human values, has a special place in today's banking system. The digital transformation in the banking industry has caused a profound change in the way banks interact with customers and has made digital marketing one of the main axes of competition. In the meantime, 5G marketing, which is based on the combination of "technology-centric" and "human-centric", is of particular importance because, on the one hand, it provides the possibility of using new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and digital channels, and on the other hand, it emphasizes the trust, ethics, and human experience of customers. This issue is of greater importance in the Iranian banking system, which is facing changing customer expectations, the growth of fintechs, and competitive pressures. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to analyze the strategic gap of fifth generation marketing in the Iranian banking system based on the theory of socio-technical systems and based on the paradigm of pragmatism and with an inductive-deductive approach.
Methodology:
This study is classified as applied-developmental research in terms of its purpose and is a non-experimental (descriptive) study with a mixed exploratory approach in terms of data collection. In the qualitative part, the population of participants included managers of public and private banks with experience in the field of digital marketing and financial technology, who were selected purposefully and after conducting 15 interviews, theoretical saturation was achieved. In the quantitative part, the statistical population consisted of managers and experts in the field of marketing and technology of banks in the country. Using Cohen's formula, a sample size of 150 people was determined and sampling was carried out using a simple cluster-random method. Data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. Qualitative data analysis was performed using thematic analysis and Maxqda software, and quantitative data was analyzed using gap analysis and importance-performance analysis in the SPSS environment.
Findings:
Based on the results of the Importance–Performance Analysis (IPA), since all identified indicators were of high importance, the two quadrants of “indifference” and “waste” were not present. The constructs of banking service technological innovation, big data analytics, digital channel integration, digital customer orientation, and banks’ social responsibility were placed in the “weakness” quadrant, as they were highly important but demonstrated poor performance. The constructs of digital banking infrastructure, smart financial technology, ethical marketing, and digital human capital were positioned in the “acceptable” quadrant; however, according to the Importance–Performance Analysis, these constructs still exhibited a significant gap compared to the desired level. Accordingly, it appears that adopting appropriate long-term strategies in these areas could help improve the current situation.
Conclusion:
The findings revealed that fifth-generation marketing in Iranian banks is grounded in both technical and human dimensions. On the technical side, the constructs of digital banking infrastructure and smart financial technology were found to be in a relatively favorable condition, with greater emphasis placed on cybersecurity, system updates, and the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms compared to other areas. In contrast, big data analytics, technological innovation in banking services, and digital channel integration faced significant shortcomings—particularly in combining financial and non-financial data for comprehensive insights, leveraging blockchain and neobanks, and providing a seamless customer experience across multiple channels. On the human side, digital human capital and ethical marketing were closer to expected levels, while digital customer orientation and banks’ social responsibility showed substantial gaps. Weaknesses in service personalization, deficiencies in building long-term customer trust, and limitations in fulfilling banks’ social roles were identified as major challenges. Therefore, the full realization of fifth-generation marketing in Iranian banks requires simultaneous attention to the development of technological infrastructure and the enhancement of human values such as trust, ethics, and social responsibility.
|
