Empowering Brands with Customer Integration Classi!cation, Bene!ts and Success Factors

Jörg Sesselmann · Student ID 330657 Berlin School of Economics and Law · International Marketing Management · WT 2012/13

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“Customer integration describes the combination of information and knowledge from the customer’s domain with internal

factors of the seller’s business as a precondition of value creation.”

Source: Reichwald and Piller, 2009. Interaktive Wertschöpfung, p.56

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Development Con!guration Production Marketing

Customer integration along the value creation process

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Development Con!guration Production Marketing

Customer integration along the value creation process

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A prominent example:

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Lego Cuusoo

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Customer integration along the value creation process

Development Con!guration Production Marketing

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A prominent example:

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Nike ID

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Development Con!guration Production Marketing

Customer integration along the value creation process

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A prominent example:

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IKEA

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Customer integration along the value creation process

Development Con!guration Production Marketing

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A prominent example:

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McDonals’ Mein Burger

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Benefits of customer integration from a product development’s perspective have been widely discussed:

•  Increased efficiency and effectivity in the development process

•  Reduction of product $ops

•  Generation of new product ideas

•  And many more

Source: Reichwald and Piller, 2009. Interaktive Wertschöpfung, p.6, 9

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But little research has been conducted on customer integration from a brand management’s perspective:

Examples of unaswered questions:

•  Does customer integration affect brand performance criteria like awareness, image, purchase intention or loyalty?

•  Which brands should use customer integration, which shouldn’t (considering their brand positioning and identity)?

•  What are the preconditions that make customer integration a success for brand management?

Source: Reichwald and Piller, 2009. Interaktive Wertschöpfung, p.6, 9

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How can brands and brand management benefit from customer integration and which

are the corresponding success factors?

Research question:

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Research approach: Case study

Case study research is the intense, in-depth study of a speci!c individual or speci!c context or situation.

•  Suitable for broad, holistic and detailed examination of a case in its real context

•  Suitable to establish a !rsthand understanding of events

•  Suitable for exploratory questions (why? how?)

Source: Yin, 2009. Case Study Research – Design and Methods

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Specifications of the case study research

Multiple-case study (2-4 cases)

•  Contrasting brands, concepts, target groups and success levels

•  Enhanced validity by replication of !ndings

Triangulation methodology

•  Multiple sources per case for enhanced reliability (artifacts, interviews, articles, case studies, surveys)

Exploratory research •  Development of a general theory based on existing research

•  Validation and supplementation via case studies

Source: Yin, 2009. Case Study Research – Design and Methods

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Result: framework of benefits and success factors

E.g. design

E.g. configuration

…

Types of customer integration

Brand performance criteria

E.g. awareness

E.g. attitude

…

Success factors

E.g. brand fit

E.g. customer mindset

…

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Expert interviews needed!

I am now looking for industry expertes, willing to engage in a short expert interview in order to create a valid, insightful case study research.

•  e interview takes 30 minutes only (phone/in person)

•  You get the study results to support your project

•  You help the research community and my graduation ;-)

Please contact me:

Jörg Sesselmann joerg@sesselmann.de +49179/3626051