The Impact of Digital Intelligence on Stealth Marketing

Aymen Hadi Talib, Basim K. M. Nasrawi, Hameed Shukur AbdulAmeer Al-Azzawi, Hakeem Abdul Wahid Mohammed, Hassan Daghwi Obaid, Ameer Jawad Kadhim Al-Msary

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between digital intelligence and stealth marketing in vocational schools in Baghdad, Iraq. Digital intelligence is conceptualized through four dimensions: digital identity, digital usage, digital security, and digital safety. Stealth marketing is operationalized through viral marketing, brand promoters, and celebrity marketing. In the context of vocational education, stealth marketing refers to indirect promotional practices in which the persuasive or commercial intent is not immediately or explicitly recognized by the target audience, including organically shared school-related content, informal endorsements by promoters, and apparently spontaneous celebrity mentions.
A descriptive-analytical cross-sectional design was employed. Data were collected from a purposive sample of 120 school administrators using a 35-item questionnaire, supported by interviews and field observations. Descriptive statistics and regression analyses were conducted using SPSS v26, while observed-variable path relationships were examined using AMOS v24. The results revealed a statistically significant positive predictive relationship between digital intelligence and stealth marketing (β = 0.527, R² = 0.277, p < 0.001). The strength and statistical significance of the relationships varied across the four dimensions of digital intelligence and the three dimensions of stealth marketing. Digital identity showed particularly relevant associations with selected stealth-marketing dimensions, although the contribution of individual digital-intelligence dimensions was not uniform across all outcomes. Overall, the findings provide contextual evidence that stronger digital capabilities are associated with greater use of indirect marketing practices in Iraqi vocational education. Given the cross-sectional and self-reported nature of the data, the results should be interpreted as predictive associations rather than evidence of causal effects.

 

Keywords: digital intelligence; stealth marketing; viral marketing; brand promoters; celebrity marketing; vocational education.

 

DOI https://doi.org/10.55463/issn.1674-2974.53.9.9


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