21st-Century Brands: An Innovation Opportunity and an Ethical Challenge

Co-creation can open up the brand to the outside and help it to generate relevant innovations. However, there is scarce empirical evidence as to how managers actually use co-creation to connect with customers and other stakeholders, and to build enduring innovation-oriented relationships with them. To better understand this, as well as the assumptions of managers and the barriers they encounter in realizing the potential of co-creation, the authors have conducted 20 in-depth interviews with managers that have led co-creation initiatives in 20 brands. This research finds diverse views of co-creation from tactical market research tool to strategic collaborative innovation method, and shows that brands can be positioned along a continuum between these two polarities. This article also presents the implications for those that want to seize the potential of co-creation.