The Role of Online Brand Community in New Product Development: Case Studies on Digital Product Manufacturers in Korea

Abstract

The focus of this study is on how online brand communities are utilised throughout the new product development (NPD) process by promoting communications between firms and communities. We investigate leading MP3 player manufacturers and mobile phone handset manufacturers in Korea. The results of our case studies show that the roles of online brand communities vary along the NPD stages — from trendsetters (lead users) to innovation facilitators (users as innovators), and information disseminators (early adopters). These communities can help firms gain insight into customer needs, desirable characteristics of new products and trends for future development. Furthermore, various inputs from online brand communities can stimulate firms' internal communication among several departments involved in the NPD. Finally, this study suggests the extended research model and generates hypotheses on the roles and impacts of online brand communities.

User roles and contributions during the new product development process in collaborative innovation communities

“…Content analysis emphasizes user behaviors to the product. This method distinguishes user roles based on user action features, such as participation volume and frequency (Füller et al, 2007), behaviors and advancement (Jensen and Scacchi, 2007), decision-making power and technical capabilities (Hedberg and Iivari, 2009;Bach and Twidale, 2010), action forms (Liao et al, 2008), action temporal duration (Bayus, 2013), user interests and inclination (Nakakoji et al, 2002;Arazy and Nov 2010), as well as user actions at different stages of product innovation process (Kim et al, 2008;Romero and Molina, 2011). SNA is a common method used in sociological research to distinguish positions and roles based on ties and relationships (Borgatti et al, 2009).…”

“…In addition, user roles vary at different stages of product lifecycles. The roles vary from trendsetters in idea generation stage to innovation facilitators in product development and testing stage, and information disseminators in market launch and profit management stage (Kim et al, 2008). Related researches mainly focus on the entire community (e.g.…”

Brand community, loyalty and promise in myfootballclub.co.uk

“…Subsequent related research has focused on how to strengthen brand communities (e.g., McWilliam, 2000;McAlexander et al, 2002), religiosity (Mu iz and Schau, 2005), brand narratives (Schau and Muñiz, 2006), building membership (Devasagayam, 2010), value (Schau et al, 2009), counterbrand communities (Cova and White, 2010), person-brand fit (Matzler et al, 2011), and knowledge-sharing (Sloan et al, 2015) among other directions. Research into online brand communities has examined how to utilise them in product development (Kim and Bae, 2008); promote consumer participation (Casaló et al, 2008), and how consumers engage with the community (Lee et al, 2011;, Brodie et al, 2013;Baldus et al, 2015). Within sport, extensive empirical work has been carried out into brand communities, focusing on team and other group identities (Heere and James, 2007;Heere et al, 2011a;Heere et al, 2011b), new sport teams (Grant et al, 2011), brandfests (Woolf et al, 2013) and scale-free networks within a new brand community (Katz andHeere, 2013, 2015).…”

Forecasting economic performance of implemented innovation openness

“…The first role users may have in NPD is that of advisor. In this role users act as information suppliers of positive and negative feedback as well as of suggestions for improvements of existing products or of new product ideas (Brockhoff 2003;Janssen and Dankbaar 2008;Kim and Bae 2008). The second role of users is that of selecting designs, types or versions to be marketed.…”