Digital tools of marketing compliance in the system of identification and prevention of counterfeiting of goods and services

Abstract

The article examines the conceptual and applied aspects of digital marketing compliance as a systemic tool for combating product and service falsification in the context of global digital market transformation. The study distinguishes adjacent concepts: marketing compliance, legal compliance, and corporate compliance; falsification, counterfeiting, imitation, and surrogate; identification and prevention as functionally distinct mechanisms. The place of marketing compliance within the marketing mix structure is determined, and its cross-cutting function spanning product, pricing, distribution, and communication policies is substantiated as a driver of brand trust and reputational capital. A typology of falsifications by manipulation object – qualitative, quantitative, informational, and value-based – is systematized, with particular emphasis on service falsification in the digital environment: rating manipulation, fake reviews, ghost services, and misrepresentation. The technological arsenal for counterfeit identification is analyzed: blockchain-based supply chain traceability (IBM Food Trust, VeChain, Everledger), IoT markers and smart packaging (NFC, QR, RFID), artificial intelligence algorithms for detecting counterfeits and fake reviews, digital product passports (EU DPP), and platform-based brand protection solutions. Preventive instruments are investigated: RegTech platforms for automated regulatory review (Veeva Vault PromoMats, Red Marker AI), digital labeling, consumer authentication applications, and integration of compliance tools into corporate CRM/ERP/SCM systems. Special attention is devoted to Ukrainian realities: the consumer protection regulatory framework, the e-excise system as a digital traceability tool, the role of GS1 Ukraine, the impact of martial law on increased falsification risks, and EU integration requirements for implementing EU regulations (GPSR, MSR, ESPR). A three-tier adaptive digital compliance model for Ukrainian businesses is proposed, differentiated by product category risk level, enterprise scale, and target sales market.