Technological Innovation and Entrepreneurial Co-Creation: An Analysis of Brand Identity and Virtual Brand Communities

Abstract

The co-creation process is a real challenge for marketing managers. The large use of the internet and the development of interactive platforms and social media (technology Web 2.0) offer a virtual context for potential innovation with a large number of consumers available individually or collectively inside a brand community. A brand community (BC) is “a structured set of social relationships among admirers of the brand” (Muniz and O’Guinn, 2001). When it is embedded in social networks (Zaglia, 2013; Brogi, 2014) it is referred to as a virtual brand community (VBC). Inside a VBC, consumers have similar norms or values and share the same passion for a brand. At this level, a brand is a set of ideas that convey the essence of the organization and/or the product. It is the framework for innovation which is human centered. Technological innovation presupposes an interaction between consumers, community members and the company in order to create products, services, ideas or experiences together. In other words, entrepreneurial co-creation implies collaboration. Consumers and brand community members develop personalized experiences in the VBC. “Brand aficionados” perceive social identities with small friendship groups around the brand (Bagozzi et al., 2012). A brand can reinforce this link with consumers by a brand identity prism (Kapferer, 1992). This tool allows a brand to create its identity with values and norms that can be shared and adopted by consumers.