<![CDATA[Digital marketing has become an important component in developing the promotion of traditional food businesses. However, studies specifically examining its use as a promotional medium for regional specialty food and souvenir businesses remain limited. This study aimed to analyze business practitioners’ understanding of digital marketing and digital branding and to examine the digital marketing strategies implemented at Toko Oleh-Oleh Nekmak Khas Mandailing Natal. This study employed a qualitative approach with a case study design. The informants comprised 13 individuals: one business owner, seven employees, and five consumers selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through observation, interviews, documentation, and literature review and subsequently analyzed using the Miles and Huberman interactive analysis model, which comprised data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing and verification. The results showed that business practitioners had an adequate understanding of digital marketing and digital branding, but their implementation was not yet optimal because marketing strategies remained dominated by conventional approaches. Of the six indicators analyzed, credibility constituted the principal strength, while accessibility, interactivity, and entertainment remained limited. The main barriers included limited understanding of digital marketing, insufficient capital, and dependence on the local market. These findings emphasize that the digital marketing transformation of traditional food businesses requires capacity building among business practitioners and the gradual implementation of appropriate strategies. This study extends understanding of the transformation of traditional food marketing into the digital sphere and provides practical implications for business practitioners to utilize product quality, business identity, and consumer trust as foundations for developing digital branding.]]>
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