Abstract
In 2004, Prahalad and Ramaswamy analyzed co-creation as a relatively new and critical development within the field of innovation. They provided examples of four building blocks by which co-creation occurs: dialogue, access, transparency and risk. In this article, we relate these elements to the phenomenon of branding, extending the building block framework, using the marketing concepts of brand community and brand co-creation. We use data from a longitudinal case study of the LEGO Group and its brand community LUGNET to derive propositions from our marketing-based reframing of co-creation. Our findings suggest a simplified model based on the dimensions of company/stakeholder engagement and organizational self-disclosure, which we recommend as central concerns to the developing theory of brand co-creation. We conclude by presenting the implications that our work suggests for brand management and brand governance, including the possibility that brands may allow society to regain control over massive international corporations lost during the recent period of globalization.
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Their latest book, Taking Brand Initiative: How Companies Can Align Strategy, Culture, and Identity Through Corporate Branding (2008, Jossey-Bass/Wiley), is the product of a three-year-long collaboration with the corporate brand managers of noted global companies including the LEGO Group, Johnson & Johnson, Nissan North America, Novo Nordisk, Telefónica, ING Group and Sony. Other notable publications on branding by Hatch and Schultz include: ‘Are the Strategic Stars Aligned for Your Corporate Brand?’ (2001 Harvard Business Review) and The Expressive Organization: Linking Identity, Reputation and the Corporate Brand (2000 Oxford University Press).
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Hatch, M., Schultz, M. Toward a theory of brand co-creation with implications for brand governance. J Brand Manag 17, 590–604 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2010.14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2010.14