Born Globals and Brand Co-Creation : The Stakeholder’s Role in Brand Co-Creation of Born Globals in Germany

Abstract

Purpose–This thesis tries to shed some light on the impact of brand co-creation in born globals. In particular, it will examine how born globals can make use of brand co-creation and how stakeholders influence brand co-creation. Furthermore, it will be investigated whether there is a special motivation for the stakeholders in the form of reciprocal effects on their own brand during brand co-creation. Design/methodology/approach–This thesis employs a qualitative research approach. A total of six semi-structured interviews were conducted, five of which were usable for this study. Three of the interviews were conducted with born globals based in Germany. Two of the interviews were conducted with stakeholders in order to shed light on their perspective on brand co-creation and possible reciprocal effects. The collected data was then analyzed using the Gioia method. Findings–The study revealed that brand co-creation is also practiced by born globals, but they are still rarely aware of it. This may be due to the youth of the phenomenon. Stakeholders are much more aware of their impact on the company's brand. For both parties involved, brand co-creation has a positive impact on future sales or the acquisition of sponsors and investors. However, negative effects can also occur if a brand is hijacked or a partner company turns out to be dishonest. Research limitations/implications–The small number of interviews, not all of which were useful, provides only an initial insight into the phenomenon. The fact that all interviewees come from only one country also makes it difficult to generalize the research results. In addition, the companies interviewed were at very different stages of maturity, which meant that their experiences with brand co-creation could well differ from one another. On the stakeholder side, one non-profit organization and one investor were interviewed, but other stakeholder groups could also have an influence on the branding of born globals.