Comparison of Conventional and Digital Marketing Strategies in Increasing the Sustainability of Family Businesses

Abstract

This study compares digital and conventional marketing strategies in sustaining family-owned businesses amid accelerating digital transformation, which has reshaped how families manage marketing and maintain long-term income stability (PwC, 2023; Kotler & Keller, 2021). Although many traditional family businesses still rely on direct sales and print advertisements with limited reach and adaptability (Rahman & Suryani, 2022), this research applies a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) and a case study of Blue Bird Group, founded by Mutiara Djokosoetono in 1972, as a representative family business undergoing digital transformation. Thematic analysis examines the relationship between marketing strategy types and sustainability indicators, including income stability, adaptability, and intergenerational resilience. Findings show that digital marketing more significantly supports economic and social sustainability through wider market reach, cost efficiency, and intergenerational knowledge transfer (Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick, 2022; PwC, 2023), while conventional marketing remains important for sustaining trust-based relationships and cultural identity. The study concludes that integrating digital and traditional marketing strategies provides the most balanced approach to maintaining authenticity, customer loyalty, and long-term family business sustainability in the digital era.