The impact of social media and electronic customer relationship management on strategic marketing: The mediating role of corporate social responsibility in Jordan

This paper examines the mediating role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the relationship between digital marketing tools, specifically Social Media and Electronic Customer Relationship Management (Social CRM), and two strategic marketing outcomes: Digital Marketing Capabilities and Innovation Orientation in digital services, within the Jordanian service industry. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was employed. The sample comprised 157 managers and employees working in marketing departments of Jordanian service companies, including banking, telecommunications, and travel agencies. A structured questionnaire was developed using validated scales from previous literature. The hypothesized relationships, including mediation effects, were tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with Smart-PLS software. The findings reveal that both Social Media and Social CRM have significant positive effects on Digital Marketing Capabilities and Innovation Orientation. Furthermore, CSR partially mediates the relationship between digital marketing tools (Social Media and Social CRM) and Digital Marketing Capabilities. However, CSR does not mediate the effect of digital marketing tools on Innovation Orientation. These results suggest that CSR serves as an important mechanism for building marketing capabilities in the digital environment but is not a prerequisite for fostering innovation. This study contributes to the marketing literature as one of the first empirical investigations to examine the mediating role of CSR in the link between digital marketing tools and strategic marketing outcomes within the Jordanian context. It extends prior research by integrating Social CRM and digital marketing tools into a unified mediation model.