Il coinvolgimento del consumatore nei processi di creazione del valore: nuove sfide per il marketing nell’era dell’immaterialità

In recent years, marketing scholars have increasingly pointed out the emergence of a radical change in the role of customers within the processes for value creation; once controlled and pre-determined by firms, through the organization of activities within the boundaries of each single firm, and with customers playing substantially a passive role, value generation is now substantially based on a complex web of activities performed by networks of partners, including customers. The aim of this paper is to point out some critical features related to the implementation of a strategy based on customer involvement. The work is organized as follows: first of all, we illustrate the rationale for this paper (par.1) and briefly recall the main drivers of change in traditional market management approach (par. 2); second, we discuss some implications of change for firms, in terms of increasing opportunities for satisfying customer needs, based on a cooperative marketing management approach (par. 3). We then focus on issues related to the participation of customers in new product development (par. 4). Finally, we point out the emergence of new problems for marketing, related to the management of customer involvement (par. 5) and conclude giving ideas for further research on this topic (par. 6).