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Exploring artificial intelligence in marketing: A South African perspective of adoption, usage and motivational drivers
Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 2026.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2026
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| _version_ | 1867613768315305984 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | In-Albon, Livia Maria |
| author2 | Human-Van Eck, Debbie |
| author_browse | Human-Van Eck, Debbie In-Albon, Livia Maria |
| author_facet | Human-Van Eck, Debbie In-Albon, Livia Maria |
| author_sort | In-Albon, Livia Maria |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/136071 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:41:23.238Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/136071 Exploring artificial intelligence in marketing: A South African perspective of adoption, usage and motivational drivers In-Albon, Livia Maria Human-Van Eck, Debbie Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Business Management. Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. In-Albon, L. M. 2026. Exploring artificial intelligence in marketing: A South African perspective of adoption, usage and motivational drivers. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/184e0de6-3ad1-49b5-9b27-f06c90689f42 In today's digital age, personalised marketing and marketing’s ability to adapt are becoming increasingly important. Against this background, this study explores artificial intelligence (AI) in marketing in South Africa. The focus of this research is on how and why brands and marketing agencies within the South African marketing context are adopting and using AI in their marketing. This focus is of central importance due to the immense potential that AI holds to influence marketing performance. It is further relevant due to the ability of new innovations to change the landscape (for instance, policies, legislation, accepted modes of operation) and hence requirements within which such performance takes place. Currently, there is a lack of empirical research that examines how and why firms in emerging markets such as South Africa adopt and use AI in marketing, particularly when integrating motivational, behavioural, individual and firm-level perspectives. To gain a deeper understanding of the adoption and usage of AI by brands and marketing agencies within the South African marketing context (how) and the motivational factors driving these processes (why), qualitative research is employed. More specifically, 21 semi-structured expert interviews are conducted with experienced professionals operating within the South African fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) marketing sector. The sample includes brand-side professionals from multinational and large FMCG companies as well as experts from creative, digital, full-service, advertising, performance and communications marketing agencies that work with brands in the FMCG sector as clients. This sample allows for the exploration and understanding of complex mechanisms behind the adoption and usage of AI in marketing. The study’s inquiry is guided by theories such as the basic motivational model, the self-determination theory, the theory of planned behaviour, the technology acceptance model and the diffusion of innovation theory. The findings of this research reveal that AI adoption in South African FMCG marketing is driven by a mix of informal individual initiatives and formal firm-level drivers, with top-down processes appearing more often in practice than bottom-up initiatives. At its core, adoption and usage of AI commence with a sense of security, competence, autonomy and firm-level support. Marketing agencies are generally more advanced and experimental in their usage of AI, applying it across more areas of applications and using a greater variety of tools than brands. The findings from this research contribute to closing the existing research gap by deepening the understanding of how and why AI is adopted and used in marketing, in particular by including the motivational factors driving these processes within the South African FMCG marketing context. Based on the theoretical foundations and empirical findings of this study, the research proposes a conceptual framework that illustrates how factors at the individual level, brand level and marketing agency level, as well as motivation, acceptance, intention and inhibition mechanisms, interact and influence the adoption and usage of AI in South African FMCG marketing practice. Masters 2026-04-22T05:40:55Z 2026-04-22T05:40:55Z 2026-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/136071 en Stellenbosch University 649 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | In-Albon, Livia Maria Exploring artificial intelligence in marketing: A South African perspective of adoption, usage and motivational drivers |
| title | Exploring artificial intelligence in marketing: A South African perspective of adoption, usage and motivational drivers |
| title_full | Exploring artificial intelligence in marketing: A South African perspective of adoption, usage and motivational drivers |
| title_fullStr | Exploring artificial intelligence in marketing: A South African perspective of adoption, usage and motivational drivers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring artificial intelligence in marketing: A South African perspective of adoption, usage and motivational drivers |
| title_short | Exploring artificial intelligence in marketing: A South African perspective of adoption, usage and motivational drivers |
| title_sort | exploring artificial intelligence in marketing a south african perspective of adoption usage and motivational drivers |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/136071 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT inalbonliviamaria exploringartificialintelligenceinmarketingasouthafricanperspectiveofadoptionusageandmotivationaldrivers |