Revija za univerzalno odličnost / Journal of Universal Excellence, Članek / Article December 2023, leto / year 12, številka / number 4, str. / pp. 336-355. * Korespondenčni avtor / Correspondence author 336 Prejeto: 20. januar 2023; revidirano: 10. februar 2023; sprejeto: 20. oktober 2023. / Received: 20th January 2023; revised: 10th February 2023; accepted: 20th October 2023. DOI: 10.37886/ruo.2023.020 Creative Competencies and Innovation Marketing in the Context of Defining the Determinants of a Company's Competitive Strategy Jasenka Haleuš * Faculty of Organisation Studies Novo mesto, Ulica talcev 3, 8000 Novo mesto, Slovenia jasenka.haleus @fos-unm.si Armand Faganel University of Primorska, Faculty of Management, Izolska vrata 2, 6000 Koper, Slovenia armand.faganel@gmail.com Abstract: Research question (RQ): Innovation marketing is a business function that effectively connects creative competencies, manifested innovation, and the economic prosperity of a company. The elements of the innovation marketing strategy can be projected based on this paradigmatic premise. Although the concepts of creative competencies and innovation are connected, it is unclear how these two concepts affect the process of developing organizational values. As a result, a fundamental research question is posed: What types of innovation and creative competencies influence the development of organizational values? Aim: The paper aims to conceptualize the relationship between various forms of creative competencies and innovation in the context of innovation marketing. With the help of a conceptualized paradigm of the relationship between creative competencies and innovation, the paper aims to create a platform for more effective and precise strategic marketing management within the company as a tool for achieving its business success. Method: Qualitative research was conducted and secondary data were collected that refer to the relevant domain of creative competencies, determinants of innovation marketing, and its importance in the process of creating an efficient and competitive company. The theoretical assumptions of the aforementioned research fields were developed with the help of this qualitative research. Triangulation (extensive sources of adequate recent provenance) was also used for further methodological confirmation. Results: There won't be enough development of creative competencies that are directly responsible for an innovative approach without promoting creativity through individual freedom within the company. Due to the innovative approach, this strategy is especially crucial since without sufficient strategic marketing involvement, the prerequisites for the company's success will be lacking. (Piekkola, 2018, pp. 608-607). The function of marketing plays an important role in bridging the gap between the company's level of innovation and its creative competencies. One of the key justifications for creating an economically effective and competitive company is the interaction between these two components and continuous organizational encouragement. Revija za univerzalno odličnost / Journal of Universal Excellence, Članek / Article December 2023, leto / year 12, številka / number 4, str. / pp. 336-355. 337 Organization: In the context of innovation marketing, the paper defines a model of creative competencies. The proposed model's theoretical assumption indicates that it has a favorable impact on the company's organizational effectiveness and overall business results. Company: By encouraging the engagement of a wider range of stakeholders in society, the implementation of the innovation marketing concept can have positive consequences on the community as a whole in addition to having a positive impact on the company's business results. Originality: The theoretical research highlighted the role that innovation plays in the expansion and development of the company. After the variables are operationalized, the proposed model may be empirically tested and, as a result, can be used as a management tool by successful companies. Limitations/further research: This paper's main goal was to study the relevant scientific and professional domains of innovations and innovativeness in the area of company operations. This means that no primary research was carried out; only secondary sources were examined. Therefore, this research represents one aspect of theoretical pilot research for further quantitative research. The actual impact of innovation as a result of the company's marketing strategic commitment to its business performance should be explored based on the provided theoretical research model. Keywords: creative competencies, innovation, innovation marketing, strategic marketing. 1 Introduction A business entity can dynamically use creativity and innovation to achieve an ideal level of business competitiveness through continuous adaptation and research of the circumstances in its environment. There are several empirical and theoretical research in this field, and they are all more or less in agreement that research on the concept of creativity is closely related to the development of business concepts that define products or certain business processes. Therefore, the term "innovation" is used to refer more to the process of actualizing and putting into practice suggested business concepts in the form of market implementation and consumer engagement. The paper investigates various theoretical frameworks of creativity and innovation to better understand how marketing strategies are developed. They arise from the innovation orientation of business entities. The paper aims to conceptualize the relationship between various forms of creativity and innovation in the context of innovation marketing. The concept of creative competency and innovation is described and defined in a great number of studies, but it is still unclear how these concepts affect and play a part in the process of developing marketing strategies. As a result, it can be said that the main research question in this paper is: What types of innovation and creative competencies are being used, and how do they influence the process of developing a marketing strategy? The research of creative competencies, innovations, and the accompanying formation of organizational values in the context of dynamic business organizations was focused mostly on theoretical research. 2 Theoretical framework Creativity and innovation in the development of business concepts and their execution through process implementation are crucial strategic factors that determine organizational performance and the long-term viability of a business entity in the market. (Martínez-Azúa et al., 2020, p. 9089; Anderson et al., 2014, pp. 1311-1312). A business entity's synergistic marketing Revija za univerzalno odličnost / Journal of Universal Excellence, Članek / Article December 2023, leto / year 12, številka / number 4, str. / pp. 336-355. 338 perspective frequently includes evaluating creative competencies, particularly innovation capacity (Sattari & Mehrabi, 2016, p. 82; Tohidi & Jabbari, 2012, p. 1522). Therefore, it should come as no surprise that managing creative and innovative processes calls for a high level of organizational and management skill development to maximize the advantages of new and improved ways of running a business entity. (Medrano et al., 2020, pp. 6-7; Ren et al., 2010, p. 81). The knowledge that the work environment affects creativity is an essential component of the relationship between creativity and innovation. This has an impact on the factors that stimulate creativity, the fundamental source of organizational innovation (Amabile et al., 2004, p. 19). For a business entity to be able to achieve a creative competence framework, it must ensure that innovations are included in it. Competence is a type of organizational behavior that can be described as a pattern. It is the result of a combination of knowledge, motivation, abilities, and skills. Therefore, a business entity's creative competencies are a resource with which extraordinary performances are obtained by evaluating staff performance (Al-Sa’di et al., 2017, p. 361) and thereby providing the preconditions for strategic drivers of product and process innovation (De Guimarães et al., 2020, p. 1172). Because it is a type of organizational value, work creativity can therefore be analyzed. The ability to explain and express a business idea or proposal is crucial from the perspective of a business entity, meaning that innovative ideas should be put into practice. (Medrano et al., 2020, p. 9). Creativity stems from different types of learning, knowledge, interests, or abilities of an individual. The first step in enhancing creativity is understanding and embracing the fact that a creative person can improve creativity through practice and concentration to systematically strengthen individual and group creative competencies. In this regard, the business entity's various functions cooperate in a creative environment. These competencies contribute to the development of various innovations within the company. The process that unleashes the creative potential of individuals within the company is at the center of innovative improvements. The turbulent environment, particularly the advancement of science and technology, is the main cause of the transformation. (Molina- Castillo et al., 2020, p. 183). As a result, creative competency is the capacity to approach a task or problem innovatively or unconventionally or the ability to use imagination to come up with new ideas. Creativity enables solving complex problems or finding interesting ways to approach solving tasks (O'Cass & Viet Ngo, 2007, p. 874). Creativity enables viewing problems from a multidimensional perspective. This implies that there are more methods for providing answers and solutions to problems (Parkman et al., 2012, p. 100). When it comes to uncertainties in the market environment, creativity as a crucial managerial competence offers a unique organizational resource and as such can serve as a long-term organizational tool. Since creativity is a fundamental skill, it should be studied in greater detail. For instance, it can be split into types of creative competencies that are used in different organizational contexts. Even though creative competence is referred to as an individual skill, Revija za univerzalno odličnost / Journal of Universal Excellence, Članek / Article December 2023, leto / year 12, številka / number 4, str. / pp. 336-355. 339 it provides organizational value when applied to the workplace. (Markevičiūtė & Jucevičius, 2013, p. 49). There are some universal traits of creativity even though it can be understood in many different ways. Specifically, creativity is connected to the creation or delivery of new value for goods or services. Therefore, creativity represents the organizational ability to generate new ideas and their application in various contexts according to the individual's knowledge, skills, and abilities. Woodman et al. (1993, p. 307) claim that creativity is the process of creating value for individuals within a social system by meeting their needs and desires. Since human capital is the source of creative competencies, investing in people and pursuing lifelong learning are essential components of the effective management of a company. This entails the development of the company's additional creative capacity, i.e., competencies for creative issue-solving and the realization of organizational objectives. Taking into account the aforementioned, the company can perform work at its highest level. A business entity's ability to generate or retain a competitive advantage and outperform its rivals is enhanced by its creative approach to dealing with the external environment. (Parjanen, 2012, p. 119). To obtain a market-efficient and competitive status on the market, the development and implementation of creative competencies as a resource should be viewed as a tool. This enhances flexibility in terms of continuous and longitudinal adaptation to changing market and competitive conditions, as well as resistance to elements in the external environment through the establishment of a competitive advantage. In the end, it is possible to consider the concept of creative competencies as a combination of individual and organizational abilities, i.e. as a potential source of organizational effectiveness. Therefore, there are two ways to look at creative competence: through the character traits of the individuals who make up the organization and through the traits of the organization itself. The organization encourages the development of the individual's creativity within the business entity. The level of creativity can be predicted more accurately by factors like structure and culture. For instance, open, flexible, decentralized decision-making organizational structures and low hierarchical levels encourage a creative environment (Ogbeibu et al., 2018, p. 193). Additionally, an organization with an organic structure encourages diversity and individual expression, making it an ideal environment for promoting all kinds of creativity (Payal et al., 2019, p. 519). The ability of employees to engage with individuals from various departments enables the circulation and exchange of information that is beneficial for the development of new ideas. Effective business and departmental communication can also be enhanced by a flexible organization. On the other hand, a certain amount of consistency, clarity, and organization are needed. Without formal mechanisms, communication is exclusively dependent on the discretionary and ad hoc efforts of organizational members, which may not be sufficient. (Shahzad et al., 2016, p. 167). Changes, which may be gradual or radical, are necessary for business entities to survive in a turbulent environment. Utilizing the benefits that come from the selective integration of core organizational competencies and the organization's intangible resources, as well as the liberalized market and process of increasingly complex market segmentation creates the need Revija za univerzalno odličnost / Journal of Universal Excellence, Članek / Article December 2023, leto / year 12, številka / number 4, str. / pp. 336-355. 340 to stand out from the competition. In this way, the organization's structure has been designed to promote innovation and change. It is undeniable that these adjustments provide the foundation for sustaining a competitive advantage over a longer period. (Iddris, 2016, p. 249). The need to innovate is becoming more pressing as competition intensifies and product lifecycles decrease. A successful business entity must meet certain criteria to be efficient, like offering competitive prices and high quality. In most industries, "growth" refers to a process that entails introducing (launching) new goods and/or services, breaking into unexplored markets, developing competitive advantages, and implementing new organizational and business models. Without innovation, an organization cannot grow. Every company faces the difficulty of creating innovation strategies that not only adapt to social pressures and environmental changes but also take into account the needs and expectations of various market stakeholders. (Dasgupta & Gupta, 2009, p. 215). Marketing activities that are part of the innovation process are included in the field of innovation marketing. For instance, this involves gathering information on customer needs, conceptualizing and testing product prototypes with customers, and marketing new products (Roy et al., 2004, p. 66). All of the aforementioned are essential and key tasks for innovation management, and innovation marketing is crucial for ensuring and boosting innovation success (O'Dwyer et al., 2009, p. 507). Innovation marketing is most responsible for the interpretation of the innovative competencies of a business entity in the context of the multidimensional development of production and business processes. Innovation processes in businesses that examine market potential and customer needs are initiated and coordinated by innovation marketing. After gathering consumer input during the product development phase, a product is created and made available on the market. (Yuan et al., 2016, p. 42; Zawislak et al., 2021, p. 22). Thus, one of the most important success factors in innovation management and a key driver of business success is marketing as a crucial business function (Medrano et al., 2020, p. 8; Ho, 2011, p. 121). Marketing has an all-encompassing role. It refers to the management of marketing instruments, market research, and strategic planning (Ren et al., 2010, p. 83). Market research identifies customer needs as well as other potential markets. Marketing plans are made based on the corporate strategy. Because marketing may identify strategically important markets based on market data, it frequently plays a significant role in the development of strategies. (Tsou et al., 2014, p. 406). There are large overlaps between marketing and innovation management. For example, tasks such as trend analysis, customer needs research, and product policy development through the marketing mix with product development and design can be found in the function of innovation management (Junge et al., 2016, p. 737). Innovation marketing includes all innovation management activities that contribute to promoting the market success of new products and services (Ungerman & Dedkova, 2018, p. 139). If we take into account that the real task and mission of innovation is market success, it becomes clear that innovation marketing plays an extremely important role in the innovation process. Innovation marketing thus includes a very wide range of tasks, especially those activities related to consumer and Revija za univerzalno odličnost / Journal of Universal Excellence, Članek / Article December 2023, leto / year 12, številka / number 4, str. / pp. 336-355. 341 market orientation that enable the successful marketing of a new product or service. (Moreira et al., 2012, p. 123). At the beginning of the innovation process, innovation marketing contributes to identifying future and new market opportunities and researching consumer needs (Lee et al., 2017, p. 99). The first part of this process refers to the research of consumer needs in specific market segments or product categories. When discussing a specific innovation project, both the present demands and future needs need to be taken into account. This involves looking into market potentials such as market attractiveness, market size, the potential for new goods, etc. Innovation marketing is tasked with consistently incorporating customers and other stakeholders in the development of a new product. The goal is to get customer and market feedback on present events. Feedback on new goods is gathered in the form of concepts, prototypes, and beta tests to incorporate experiences and ideas into the development process for future improvement. (Sicotte et al., 2012, p. 200) As a result, innovation marketing encompasses all of the activities that take place before, during, and after the development of new products, as well as the monitoring of customer feedback. This makes it an important interdepartmental function that contributes significantly to the innovation process as a whole. Additionally, it demonstrates how strongly intertwined the tasks of marketing and innovation are. The basic definition of the function and role of innovation marketing demonstrates how crucial this function is to the innovation process. Innovation marketing plays a role in all stages and ensures market and consumer orientation, which is a crucial tool to prevent the eventual demise of the innovation. (Gupta et al., 2016, p. 5676). Business entities apply innovative management strategies by following the assumptions of system development within organizations that encourage the growth of creative competencies as the capacity to concentrate on new and improved solutions related to the development of new products, and management of processes or markets. Innovation marketing is a business function that best integrates creative competencies, manifested innovation, and the economic prosperity of business entities. The elements of the innovation marketing strategy can be projected based on this paradigmatic premise. Therefore, it can be said that business entities that don't support innovation will fall behind in the development of their competitive position. Innovation is encouraged through the development and encouragement of creativity within business systems. It primarily refers to encouraging the creativity process among employees. This is supported by research that shows that human resources management is a fundamental assumption of innovation and business success (Karaman Aksentijević et al., 2008, pp. 46-48). Systems manage innovation in different ways. One of the more efficient ways is the application of innovation marketing. Innovation marketing is often considered complementary to product innovation. The majority of authors concur that the main emphasis should be on new product and service innovation, as well as how Revija za univerzalno odličnost / Journal of Universal Excellence, Članek / Article December 2023, leto / year 12, številka / number 4, str. / pp. 336-355. 342 to deal with changes in product characteristics resulting from the modification of core technologies. (Purcharse i Volery, 2020, pp. 771-778). 3 Method The purpose of this paper is to better understand the relevance and function of the company's creative competencies as a dominant determinant of innovative marketing which is a key prerequisite for the development of effective marketing strategies. For this purpose, qualitative research was conducted, and secondary data about the relevant domain of creative competencies, determinants of innovation marketing, and their significance in the process of developing an effective and competitive business entity were gathered. With this qualitative research, an effort was made to develop the theoretical assumptions of the aforementioned researched domain. The paper was primarily based on the analysis and study of previous research, both theoretical and empirical. For this purpose, secondary data were collected by searching relevant databases that include scientific literature, i.e. recent scientific articles. They served as the basis for the analysis, comparison, and synthesis of the research domain, which led to the systematization of terms, processes, and specific marketing innovation elements and their impact on the development of a competitive business entity. The analysis focuses on identifying the group of marketing innovation factors, whose management eventually meets the requirements for the development of a competitive business entity. This research focused on the analysis of the limited number of available literature sources. To combine each example into a distinctive presentation of the effect of the application of marketing innovations on the competitiveness of a business entity, the research concentrated on finding and analyzing recent scientific literature that thematizes the relationship between creative competencies and innovation in the context of innovation marketing. The majority of the articles cover a similar topic in theory, but the interpretation of specific creative components and the circumstances behind the creation of a particular model vary. The carried-out effect is the same or comparable in the end, therefore it was necessary to examine each source and create a model of interconnected marketing innovation components into one distinct synthetic construct. Given the inconsistent and inadequate phenomenon of assessing the concepts of creative competence, innovation, and innovation marketing, it became necessary to conduct a systematic literature review to identify key terms within this domain. In contrast to a systematic review, a non-systematic narrative review tends to be descriptive and is of lower quality because the authors frequently choose the articles based on their personal opinions. On the other hand, a systematic review is defined as a review that uses a systematic method to summarize the issues with a detailed and comprehensive study plan. (Tawfik et al., 2019, p. 3). To synthesize findings and data analysis, this review does not use statistical and econometric techniques. The Revija za univerzalno odličnost / Journal of Universal Excellence, Članek / Article December 2023, leto / year 12, številka / number 4, str. / pp. 336-355. 343 systematic review process consists of the following stages: data collection, theoretical model development, data analysis, and reporting of results. (Figure 1). Figure 1. Key steps of the systematic review process Establishing research questions • Are creative competencies correlated with innovation? • Do creative competencies have a role in creating organizational values? • What type of innovation affects the development of organizational values? • What is innovation marketing? Defining conceptual boundaries • Define product and process innovations • Focus on marketing innovations • Relationship between marketing, innovation, and competitive advantage Journal publication year 2016-2020 Search terms Product and process innovation - marketing innovation - marketing, innovation, and competitive advantage - innovation strategies - business efficiency Journals WoS, SCOPUS, ScienceDirect, Emerald, SpringerLink, Google Scholar Reading and analysis of abstracts 65 abstracts were examined Abstract acceptance criteria - Focus on innovative marketing processes - Innovation in correlation with other important marketing concepts such as marketing orientation or strategic marketing Abstract rejection criteria - Absence of marketing context for innovations, innovativeness, and the like - 51 studied articles were of an older date Article coding - articles accepted - Development of thematic areas - Defined coding process Revija za univerzalno odličnost / Journal of Universal Excellence, Članek / Article December 2023, leto / year 12, številka / number 4, str. / pp. 336-355. 344 The data collection process begins with questions related to defining criteria when searching for relevant articles. By an ad hoc approach, it was determined that there is a sizable conceptual variation, either through the article's title, summary, or search of the article's keywords on marketing and marketing management. The concept of innovation marketing served as the starting point for the concept review. This concept was also linked to product, innovation, competitive advantage, marketing strategies, and business efficiency. Shortly after, the time frame in which the researched journals were printed was defined. The research aimed to include relatively recent research, and for this purpose, a time frame covering the period from 2016 to 2020 was defined. In addition, it became apparent that numerous articles thematized innovations from an engineering and technological perspective. To contextualize the term innovation through other keywords like management, marketing, business success, and marketing strategy, it was necessary to narrow the search parameters. There are many journals and articles available, but not all of them can be of scientific or professional value. For this reason, one of the factors used to determine the value of journals was the database in which they were cited (WoS, SCOPUS). The 65 papers that were obtained during the second research phase were further examined to see if they were focused on innovation marketing. However, as was previously indicated, despite having a specific subject, 51 articles did not meet the time frame, leaving only 14 pieces eligible for research. Partial coding was also used to conduct the analysis in the desired manner. Individual theme codes were developed for things like the type of article (empirical/theoretical), and the theoretical basis (marketing orientation, marketing strategy, innovation theory, etc.). After reading the articles, one could conclude that some of them were in accordance with the original description because they concentrated on organizational aspects and brand innovation. Nevertheless, they were included in the overall concept of brand innovation (as an offer or consumer experience novelty) (Boisvert & Ashill, 2011., p. 518). ScienceDirect, Emerald, SpringerLink, Google Scholar). The articles included in the sample mainly focused on analyzing the concepts of innovation at the company level rather than at the consumer level. Primary research methods are frequently used in empirical articles, but there were also articles in the sample that focused on secondary data. 4 Results and discussion By looking at the relevant domain of corresponding literary titles, it can be concluded that the topic that connects marketing with innovations is one of the primary objects of interest for researchers. However, different authors connect these two constructs differently, interpreting them in different contexts. One could say that there is a complementary logical structure and connection of this field with the same outcome, which is influencing the achievement of more effective organizational results, i.e., competitive advantage as the ultimate goal of all competitive entities on the market. Summaries of research findings are presented in Table 1 in four categories. Revija za univerzalno odličnost / Journal of Universal Excellence, Članek / Article December 2023, leto / year 12, številka / number 4, str. / pp. 336-355. 345 Table 1. Presentation of the main findings of the relationship analysis between marketing and innovation Factor Author(s) Key findings Product and process innovation Martínez-Azúa et al., 2020 Product and process innovation within the organization depends on the development of capacities and competencies of employees at all levels. The development of these innovative capabilities depends on knowledge, external visibility, and competitiveness. Therefore, the process of establishing goals and formal or informal procedures that lead to innovative product or process development within the organization is important. De Guimarães et al., 2020 Business entities that prioritize the development of new products in their management strategies by applying the innovation principle over the medium term obtain more stable competitive advantages and economic gains. Such an approach begins with market information as a framework for the support and growth of innovative processes. Al-Sa’di et al., 2017 Knowledge management significantly enhances the effectiveness of both product and process innovation. Manufacturing organizations that are considering a competitive strategy based on innovation are recommended to manage the development of the process of disseminating knowledge and skills within the organization as a key pillar and the main driver of innovation. Marketing innovation Medrano et al., 2020 Entrepreneurs must develop projects aimed at developing marketing innovations, in order to identify opportunities and counter or avoid threats, develop new and creative forms of marketing, and strengthen strategic management. Molina-Castillo et al., 2020 Marketing innovations play a vital role in all industrial sectors to maintain favorable market positions. If business entities are not able to adopt innovation concepts, they will lose their consumers or market share. Companies must concentrate on consumer needs and market sustainability if they want to remain competitive. Sattari, B. & Mehrabi, 2016 Innovations in marketing extend beyond the development of new goods, services, and technologies. They are key elements that show how companies may better serve their customer's needs and stay competitive in a highly competitive climate, thereby gaining an advantage in the market. Marketing, innovation, and competitive advantage Anning-Dorson, 2018 Competitive advantage is strongly correlated with innovation. Market innovations are the most important determinant of the competitive advantage of a business entity's market positioning. In addition, organizational leadership is largely responsible as the main mediator between innovation and competitive advantage. Chatzoglou & Chatzoudes, 2018 Application of innovations within the company enables collaborative work on the establishment of long-term competitive advantages, with success based on an understanding of human resource management as a crucial component of commercial competitiveness. The incorporation »se nadaljuje« Revija za univerzalno odličnost / Journal of Universal Excellence, Članek / Article December 2023, leto / year 12, številka / number 4, str. / pp. 336-355. 346 of innovations into organizational culture allows the strengthening of market resistance capabilities and an adequate counterbalance to the competition's operations (actions). Pulgarín-Molina & Guerrero, 2017 The inclusion of innovation can increase the competitiveness of a business entity by finding and developing skills that are achieved in accordance with consumer requirements. Innovation within the company as a source of competitive advantage, as well as the minimum costs associated with it, are what make the innovative business model successful. Innovation strategies and business entity efficiency Ungerman & Dedkova, 2018 Marketing innovation is identified as the search for creative solutions to problems and needs. Business entities must continually create new products and strategies if they want to increase their competitiveness and perform better. Yuan et al., 2016 Business entities must implement innovation strategies to be successful. That can be done by strategically adapting their innovative capabilities to the market environment. Tavassoli & Karlsson, 2016 Innovation plays an important organizational role in changing the business environment. Innovation is identified as an added value to organizational performance and activities. By developing new items or catering to the demands of existing customers, innovation creates value for new consumers. Shahzad et al., 2016 Those business entities that manage innovation processes have a more innovative product portfolio and are more successful than others. In addition, innovation orientation has strong indirect effects on the economic effects of business in terms of increased profit or competitive position in the market. Rousseau et al., 2016 Although innovations are regarded as the life force of companies, they frequently struggle to achieve the expected economic gains. Research confirms the existence of a strong bond between innovation and business performance. Large business systems benefit more from innovation than small businesses do, and product and process innovation combined lead to bigger performance increases than product innovation alone. The overview based on product and process innovation within the organization was the first step in the fundamental relationship analysis between marketing and innovation from a theoretical standpoint (3 articles). This perspective depends on the development of capacities and competencies of employees at all levels. The development of these innovative capabilities depends on knowledge, external visibility, and competitiveness (Martínez-Azúa et al., 2020, pp. 4-3). Therefore, the process of establishing goals and formal or informal procedures that lead to innovative product or process development within the organization is important (De Guimarães et al., 2020, p. 1170). The development of new products and innovation competencies are the main sources for gaining a competitive advantage in the market (Martínez- Azúa et al., 2020, pp. 6-7). »nadaljevanje« Revija za univerzalno odličnost / Journal of Universal Excellence, Članek / Article December 2023, leto / year 12, številka / number 4, str. / pp. 336-355. 347 The next researched term was marketing innovation. Three articles are also analyzed here (3). This construct represents the idea of developing a project aimed at the development of marketing innovations. This is done to identify opportunities, counter or avoid threats, and develop new and creative forms of marketing (Medrano et al., 2020, p. 8). Marketing innovations are not only connected to the development of new products, services, and technologies. They are one of the main factors that show how business entities can better meet the needs of consumers and keep up with the competition in an intensely competitive environment, thus achieving a favorable position in the market. (Chatzoglou & Chatzoudes, 2018, p. 53; Pulgarín-Molina & Guerrero, 2017 p. 20). Creating a competitive advantage is an important aspect of the relationship between marketing and innovation. Three articles dealt with this concept in more detail (3). Innovation is strongly correlated with competitive advantage. Market innovations are the most important determinant of the competitive advantage of a business entity's market positioning. In addition, organizational leadership is largely responsible as the main mediator between innovation and competitive advantage (Anning-Dorson, 2018, p. 589). The application of innovations within the company enables collaborative work on the development of sustainable competitive advantages and success is based on the knowledge of human resource management as a crucial component of business competitiveness (Chatzoglou & Chatzoudes, 2018. p. 54). The incorporation of innovations into organizational culture enables the strengthening of market resistance capabilities and a suitable counterbalance to the competition's activity. The inclusion of innovation can increase the competitiveness of a business entity by finding and developing skills that are achieved in accordance with consumer requirements. The success of the innovative business model requires reinventing business operations while having minimal costs, as well as using innovation within the company as a source of competitive advantage. (Pulgarín-Molina & Guerrero, 2017, p. 18). The key issue of strategic realization and favorable market positioning directly depends on the innovation strategies and their direct effect on the efficiency of the business entity. Five (5) articles deal with this research field. Marketing innovation is identified as the search for creative and new solutions to problems and needs (Ungerman & Dedkova, 2018, p. 139). Business entities must use innovative strategies to be successful, which may be accomplished by strategically adapting their inventive competencies to the market environment (Yuan et al., 2016, p. 474). Innovation plays an important organizational role in changing the business environment (Tavassoli & Karlsson, 2016, p. 642). Those business entities that manage innovation processes have a more innovative product portfolio and are more successful than others (Shahzad et al., 2016, p. 169). Large business systems benefit more from innovation than small businesses do, and product and process innovation combined lead to bigger performance increases than product innovation alone (Rousseau et al., 2016, p. 19). Although a large number of researches deal with the consequent question of the effect of the company's innovative efforts, special attention should be directed to the research of predictors Revija za univerzalno odličnost / Journal of Universal Excellence, Članek / Article December 2023, leto / year 12, številka / number 4, str. / pp. 336-355. 348 of the company's innovative capacity (Carmen & José, 2008, p. 422), as well as cohesive elements in terms of marketing coordination and planning within the company (Toledo, 2011, p. 176). The development of competitive strategies that ensure the company's long-term business success is made possible by the company's orientation and focus on marketing as a fundamental cohesive part of encouraging and implementing innovations within the organization. Aspects and effects of the orientation toward innovative action in the form of its implementation through marketing strategies are manifested through the effects of market penetration, new products, and market development, as well as diversification (Ansoff, 1957, pp. 113-124). The results of the qualitative analysis show that innovation orientation has direct or indirect effects on company performance. Therefore, those companies that plan and manage innovation areas have a more innovative product portfolio and are more successful than others. The results highlight the significance of formalizing innovation initiative implementation while encouraging resources like creative competencies for the development of a type of company management instrument in the form of the concept of innovation marketing (Roach et al., 2016, p. 227). Additionally, it was determined through the analysis of the relevant theoretical domain that a company's ongoing commitment to innovation has a significant indirect impact on its capacity to expand into new markets, as well as existing ones, develop new products, and diversify its product portfolio (Piekkola & Rahko, 2020, p. 619; Antonelli and Giuseppe, 2011, p. 413). This suggests that companies that consciously choose their innovation focus areas, develop creative innovative resources, support organizational development, and promote synergy between related areas have a better chance of developing a portfolio of new and more innovative products, thereby gaining a competitive advantage in the market (Lööf & Almas, 2006, p. 331). Ansoff's matrix of marketing innovation classification is a model that can help strategic decision-makers in determining the direction of the company's development based on its market position (Crepon et al., 1998, p. 133). This model is typically used when the most crucial products of a company reach the product life cycle's maturity stage. Ansoff's marketing innovation classification matrix is useful when developing a new product from the ground up (Tavassoli & Karlsson, 2016, p. 640; Uzkurt et al., 2013, p. 99). By reviewing and analyzing the studied articles, it is clear that the concept of marketing innovation represents a dynamic strategic adaptation of successful companies in a competitive environment. It is clear that utilizing the resources of the company's creative competencies effectively leads to innovation, which is necessary for innovation marketing. It manifests itself through adequate marketing strategic design, and results in a favorable economic effect for the company (Rousseau et al., 2016, str. 21; Salomo et al., 2008, p. 567). The inclusion of innovations in the organizational culture is a condition sine qua non that strengthens and encourages the company's development capacities. Innovations are a requirement for added value and they strengthen relationships with current customers and make it possible to focus on attracting new target consumer groups. Revija za univerzalno odličnost / Journal of Universal Excellence, Članek / Article December 2023, leto / year 12, številka / number 4, str. / pp. 336-355. 349 5 Conclusion It can be concluded that, as part of a larger marketing strategy, innovations, and innovativeness in business entities are the foundation of a successful and competitive organization. During contemporary economic and technical progress, innovative companies are accountable for ecological, social, and economic sustainability, so it can be said that innovation plays a crucial role in ensuring the long-term viability of society. Marketing innovation is often considered complementary to product innovation. The majority of the publications examined in this research take into account information about particular elements of the strategy or the actual product concerning marketing innovation. A minority of articles in our review focus on marketing innovation as a single concept. The innovation of products and processes inside the company is therefore directly related to the development of the capacities and competencies of personnel at all levels. The development of these innovative capabilities depends on knowledge, external visibility, and competitiveness. Business entities that prioritize the development of new products in their management strategies by applying the innovation principle over the medium term obtain more stable competitive advantages and economic gains. Knowledge management has a significant positive impact on both types of innovation, product and process. Entrepreneurs must develop initiatives focused on creating marketing innovations to recognize opportunities, counter threats and avoid them, create innovative marketing strategies, and improve strategic management. Marketing innovations are important for business entities because they can address customer needs better and stay competitive in a highly competitive environment. They are not just related to the production of new products, services, and technologies. Innovation to a large extent positively relates to competitive advantage. Market innovations are the most important determinant of the competitive advantage of a business entity's market positioning. Additionally, organizational leadership is largely responsible as the main mediator between innovation and competitive advantage. Innovation strategies are crucial for the business success of business entities, which can be achieved with the strategic adaptation of innovative capabilities to the market environment. And finally, the vast majority of studies support a solid connection between innovation and business performance. With the help of this analysis, it is possible to expand research methods that have not yet been widely used in the field of marketing innovation. This paper also highlights the advantages of interpretive methods that can be used not only in this research field but can also serve as an excellent analytical and interpretive tool in other related fields of marketing. The importance of highlighting the fact that such qualitative research approaches in specific fields can be just as relevant to a profession or field of study as quantitative approaches that mainly generate primary data. This paper represents a qualitative study that uses secondary data interpreted through a review of the relationship between marketing and innovation. It can be a very helpful tool for managers or organizational leaders to better communicate the importance of innovation through the management of the marketing function to achieve positive economic results. We also shouldn't Revija za univerzalno odličnost / Journal of Universal Excellence, Članek / Article December 2023, leto / year 12, številka / number 4, str. / pp. 336-355. 350 disregard the academic community, or marketing theorists, who can use this paper to precisely define some existing domains within the context of marketing as a scientific discipline. This paper on marketing innovations is somewhat fragmented since the relationship between marketing and innovation was not thoroughly addressed, i.e., the paper did not address its impact on certain marketing instruments more explicitly. There is still a great deal of room for new, additional, and in-depth research in this regard. Since it was only a pilot study, a specific sample was not used, because it could jeopardize the research and scientific integrity. A pilot study, however, is meant to introduce fresh ideas that will only be developed later and clarified in greater depth. In this regard, proposals for additional research should be interpreted. From the aforementioned, it is evident that by using quantitative methodologies, marketing innovation might spark the development of new research topics. The primary goal of this paper was to investigate the relevant areas of professional and scientific domains of innovation as well as innovation in the field of business operations. In this respect, no primary research was carried out; only secondary sources were reviewed. This research represents the first step for further quantitative research. Furthermore, the specific impact of innovation as a result of the marketing strategic commitment of business entities on their company performance should be investigated on the suggested theoretical research model. 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Asian Business & Management, 15(15), 32-56. doi:10.1057/abm.2015.17 Revija za univerzalno odličnost / Journal of Universal Excellence, Članek / Article December 2023, leto / year 12, številka / number 4, str. / pp. 336-355. 354 *** Jasenka Haleuš je doktorska študentka na FOŠ Novo mesto. V svoji poslovni karieri se je ukvarjala z vodenjem podjetja in ustvarjanjem novih storitev ter vrsto let delala kot novinarka. Skupaj z možem je ustanovila podjetje, ki se ukvarja s trženjskimi storitvami ter produkcijo video vsebin in dogodkov, oblikuje marketinške strategije za turistične destinacije in si prizadeva za njihovo promocijo. *** Armand Faganel is an associate professor in the field of marketing at the University of Primorsko, Faculty of Management. He performs the duties of the director of the Master's study program in Management, which is conducted in English, and is also the head of the Department of Marketing. Before entering the academic world, he gained work experience as a marketing manager, sales manager and director in various domestic and international companies. He is also an expert for national and educational European agencies for providing quality in higher education. International scientific interests are primarily scientific areas of knowledge of service quality, sustainability of tourism, consumer guidance and perception of the quality of higher education. *** Povzetek: Kreativne kompetence in trženje inovacij v kontekstu definiranja determinant konkurenčne strategije podjetja Raziskovalno vprašanje (RQ): Inovacijski marketing je poslovna funkcija, ki učinkovito povezuje kreativne kompetence, manifestirano inovativnost in ekonomsko blaginjo podjetja. Elemente strategije trženja inovacij je mogoče predvideti na podlagi te paradigmatične predpostavke. Čeprav sta pojma kreativne kompetence in inovativnost povezana, ni jasno, kako ta pojma vplivata na proces razvoja organizacijskih vrednot. Posledično se postavlja temeljno raziskovalno vprašanje: Katere vrste inovativnosti in kreativnih kompetenc vplivajo na razvoj organizacijskih vrednot. Namen: Prispevek želi konceptualizirati odnos med različnimi oblikami kreativnih kompetenc in inovativnostjo v kontekstu trženja inovacij. S pomočjo konceptualizirane paradigme razmerja med kreativnimi kompetencami in inovativnostjo želi prispevek ustvariti platformo za učinkovitejše in natančnejše strateško vodenje trženja v podjetju kot orodje za doseganje njegove poslovne uspešnosti. Metoda: Izvedena je bila kvalitativna raziskava in zbrani sekundarni podatki, ki se nanašajo na relevantno področje kreativnih kompetenc, determinant trženja inovacij in njihovega pomena v procesu oblikovanja učinkovitega in konkurenčnega podjetja. Teoretične predpostavke omenjenih raziskovalnih področij so bile razvite s pomočjo te kvalitativne raziskave. Za nadaljnjo metodološko potrditev je bila uporabljena tudi triangulacija (obsežni viri ustrezne novejše provenience). Rezultati: Razvoj kreativnih kompetenc, ki so neposredno odgovorne za inovativen pristop, ne bo dovolj brez spodbujanja kreativnosti skozi svobodo posameznika v podjetju. Zaradi inovativnega pristopa je ta strategija še posebej pomembna, saj brez zadostne strateške marketinške vpetosti ne bodo predpogoji za uspeh podjetja. (Piekkola, 2018, str. 608-607). Funkcija marketinga ima pomembno vlogo pri premoščanju vrzeli med stopnjo inovativnosti podjetja in njegovimi kreativnimi kompetencami. Ena izmed ključnih utemeljitev za ustvarjanje ekonomsko učinkovitega in konkurenčnega podjetja je interakcija med tema dvema komponentama in nenehno organizacijsko spodbujanje. Organizacija: V kontekstu trženja inovacij je prispevek definiran model kreativnih kompetenc. Teoretična predpostavka predlaganega modela kaže, da ima ugoden vpliv na organizacijsko učinkovitost podjetja in celotne poslovne rezultate. Družba: Implementacija koncepta trženja inovacij ima lahko s spodbujanjem vključevanja širšega kroga deležnikov v družbi poleg pozitivnega vpliva na poslovne rezultate podjetja tudi pozitivne posledice na skupnost kot celoto. Revija za univerzalno odličnost / Journal of Universal Excellence, Članek / Article December 2023, leto / year 12, številka / number 4, str. / pp. 336-355. 355 Izvirnost: Teoretična raziskava je izpostavila vlogo, ki jo ima inovativnost pri širitvi in razvoju podjetja. Po operacionalizaciji spremenljivk je predlagani model mogoče empirično preizkusiti in ga posledično lahko uporabljajo kot orodje za upravljanje uspešnih podjetij. Ključne besede: kreativne kompetence, inovativnost, trženje inovacij, strateški marketing. 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