This document summarizes a master's thesis on empowering brands through customer integration. The thesis establishes a framework for understanding the benefits of customer integration for brands based on a literature review and three case studies. It develops a classification matrix for different types of customer integration. The thesis finds that customer integration has the potential to boost various aspects of brand equity when aligned with brand identity. It also identifies success factors like a flexible culture and compelling user experience. The limitations prompt a need for further research with more cases to better understand relationships and potential negative aspects.

1. Master Thesis · Jörg Sesselmann · Student ID 330657
joerg@sesselmann.de · www.joerg-sesselmann.de
Berlin School of Economics and Law · International Marketing Management · WT 2012/13
Empowering Brands with Customer Integration
Classification, Benefits and Success Factors

2. 2
Socio-demographic and technological
changes are altering the relationship
between customers and companies.

3. 3
Increased
independence and
wealth drive
self-expressive and
self-determined
customer demand.

4. 4
Information
technology
and design tools
empower customers
to become
equal creators and
communicators.

5. 5
Customers are
challenging brands to
participate in the
design, configuration,
production and
marketing of products.

6. The basic principle of customer integration:
Customer integration is the integration
of customers into the value creation
processes of a company.

7. 7
The research purpose of this thesis is to establish a
brand-focused perspective on customer integration.
Organization
Innovation
management
Product
development
Brand
management
Customer
integration

8. Research question:
How can brands and brand management
benefit from customer integration and which
are the corresponding success factors?

9. 9
The thesis is structured along an empirical, qualitative,
exploratory multiple-case study approach.
Conceptual foundation
of brand management and customer integration
Empirical case
study analysis
of benefits and
success factors
Classification
of customer
integration
Theoretical
framework
of benefits and
success factors
Managerial implications

10. 10
The thesis is structured along an empirical, qualitative,
exploratory multiple-case study approach.
Conceptual foundation
of brand management and customer integration
Empirical case
study analysis
of benefits and
success factors
Classification
of customer
integration
Theoretical
framework
of benefits and
success factors
Managerial implications

11. 11
Mapping the landscape of customer integration based on
existing theory and actual cases.
Customer Integration Classification Matrix
Value creation phase Design Configuration Production Marketing
Strategic significance Strategy Tool
Duration Permanent Temporary
Scope of participants Community Individual
Form of interaction Virtual Physical
Customer motivation Intrinsic Extrinsic
Publicness Open Closed

12. 12
Establishing a theoretical framework of benefits and success
factors of customer integration for brands.
Conceptual foundation
of brand management and customer integration
Empirical case
study analysis
of benefits and
success factors
Classification
of customer
integration
Theoretical
framework
of benefits and
success factors
Managerial implications

13. 13
Establishing a theoretical
framework of benefits
and success factors of
customer integration
for brands.

14. 14
Conducting a multiple-case study analysis to validate and
enrich the theoretical framework.
Conceptual foundation
of brand management and customer integration
Empirical case
study analysis
of benefits and
success factors
Classification
of customer
integration
Theoretical
framework
of benefits and
success factors
Managerial implications

15. 15
Conducting a multiple-case study analysis to validate and
enrich the theoretical framework.
• Three case studies, selected to cover most value creation stages
• Triangulation method: expert interviews combined with press coverage,
artifcats and further documents
• Cross-case analysis attempts to replicate findings

16. 16
Evaluation and revision of
the theoretical framework.

17. 17
Key learnings for the implementation of customer integration
from a brand’s perspective.
Conceptual foundation
of brand management and customer integration
Empirical case
study analysis
of benefits and
success factors
Classification
of customer
integration
Theoretical
framework
of benefits and
success factors
Managerial implications

18. 18
Key learnings for the implementation of customer integration
from a brand’s perspective.
• Customer integration has the potential to foster brand equity in terms of
awareness, associations, attitude, attachment and activity
• Customer integration should be contentually in line with the brand identity
and works best with certain product classes and categories
• A duality of target groups is revealed: niche audiences can kickstart
campaigns that achieve spillover effects with the broad customer base
• Implementation: Congruence with brand benefit, balanced freedom of
creation, compelling user experience and preservation of brand elements
• A flexible corporate culture, honest communication with customers and
basic relevance of customer integration are key to success

19. 19
The limitations of this study point to various further research
opportunities:
• External validity limited due to small number of cases
• No relationships and causalities can be established
• Negative aspects neglected due to focus on benefits and positive cases
→ Larger broad case study or single experiments are suggested

20. Thank you for your time.