Toward an Attitude-Based Path to Co-creation: Exploring Customer Engagement in New Product Development

Abstract

We propose and evaluate a conceptual model explaining how customer engagement and customer-to-customer virtual interactions lead to the intention to co-create in new product development. Based on the theory of trying, the model adds the mechanism of attitudes toward success, failure, and the process to the customer engagement—intention to co-create relationship. The results from two culturally distant regions, represented by the United States and Brazil, partially support the model and demonstrate the moderating impact of trust on the customer engagement—attitudes relationships. Surprisingly, few differences emerged between the two countries. An exception being the relationship between customer engagement and intention to co-create through attitude toward the process was stronger in the United States than Brazil. Implications for global marketing theory and practice are discussed.