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Brand fan pages on social networks have become very popular online services. However, empirical research on fan pages is still in its infancy. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of fan pages on the customer‐brand relationship and what motivates users to participate.

For this a framework was developed based on classical concepts of use and gratification theory, customer engagement, and involvement theory. The model is tested using a multi‐step approach of qualitative and quantitative methods.

The paper can show a significant influence from online service usage behavior on the fan page on the customer‐brand relationship. Furthermore, the paper identifies different values such as functional and hedonic content as drivers of fan‐page participation.

The results are limited by the used data set, which is not representative for all industries and is cross‐sectional. Further research could build up a database over a longitudinal time frame in different industries. The results are interesting for theory and practice. They confirm the positive effect of integration and engagement in general and show that fan pages are more than just tools to connect brand fans. They are also instruments for gaining new fans.

The present study is the first study that not only shows the effect of fan pages on customer behavior, but also analyses the motives for participation and the crucial constructs to manage them successfully.

Drawing upon research in consumer behavior, the purpose of this paper is to deploy an alternative way to predict behavioral intention with customer technology beliefs and experience in e‐brokerage services.

This study tests the proposed framework and relevant hypotheses with survey responses collected from 258 online investors.

Technology‐ready (TR) customer segments vary in their evaluations of customer‐service interfaces; interface evaluations affect cognitive service experience; and interface evaluations and cognitive experience affect customers' behavioral intentions.

This study indicates that flow experience emerges as an important factor for achieving sustainable competitive advantages in e‐brokerage services. The research findings and relevant hypotheses might not apply to low‐credence services.

The findings indicate that service designers need to examine the life cycle of the intended service offerings and customize corresponding service/product features based on customers' technology beliefs and personal characteristics, which can further lead to maximized flow experience and increased intention rate.

The paper is among the first attempts to examine how psychographic features affect customers' experience and valuation of certain service system interfaces from service design perspective.

The purpose of this paper is to report on nine in‐depth case histories of manufacturing firms introducing significant new service innovations. Manufacturing firms are under increasing pressure to diversify into lines of business that offer unique contributions to long term profitability and this paper increases understanding of how incumbent firms successfully accomplish this transition.

Using analytical induction the authors sample published announcements of significant new service offerings by well‐established manufacturing firms. An example of this type of service innovation would be General Motor's offering of OnStar remote driver support systems (not included in this sample). A total of nine cases (43 percent of the companies contacted) participated in this case study approach.

The paper identifies two primary strategies pursued by these firms development and launch of significant new service innovations representing important diversification moves for the firm. Both require CEO/President sponsorship, but are founded on different corporate cultures. The engineering culture path to commercialization tends to nurture concepts new to the firm, requires multi‐functional strategy making, and does well with champions from operations that have deep knowledge of the conversion process in the respective industry context. The entrepreneurial orientation path to commercialization tends to nurture concepts new to the industry or new to the world paired with sole champions from R&D or Engineering. Either strategy works well depending upon development culture and available resources.

Generalizations here are limited to incumbent manufacturing firms. Innovative service offerings by new entrants in manufacturing and services as well as incumbent service firms like banks and hospitals have yet to be explored for their corporate culture patterns and sponsorship tendencies.

For manufacturing firms considering making the transition to significant service offerings, the findings here indicate at least two viable approaches to commercialization, but both depend significantly on the chief executive sponsorship regardless of the initial conditions and context.

The identified patterns of corporate culture alternatives and innovation roles, given initial contextual conditions, is a novel contribution in the field. It comes at a time when manufacturing firms are ripe for strategic change and leveraging of core competences to transition to important new service businesses.

The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate a model for patient co‐creation and learning based on diaries for use in health‐care service development. In particular, the study aims to investigate the process of patient co‐creation and different mechanisms through which health‐care service providers can learn from the patient.

The study is based on an action research approach. First, a development phase for patient co‐creation and learning leading to a proposed model was conducted. Second, a test phase of the diary‐based method was performed on 53 patients in three cases: orthopaedic care, rehabilitation care and gastroenterology care.

The study suggests a model for co‐creation and learning in health‐care service development through three learning methods. First, the model may be used as a means for generating and collecting patient ideas; second, a single patient's story can be illustrated and can serve as incentive for health‐care service development and creation of patient‐centred care; finally, a larger number of diaries can be analysed and combined with patient surveys to provide a deeper understanding of how the patient experiences health care services.

This study extends the research on diary‐based methods as an operationalisation of co‐creation in two ways. First, the study offers new and more diverse ways of using the rich material provided by customer diaries in the development of services. Second, the study suggests a co‐creation approach of involving patients in health‐care service development through patient diaries.

Customer co‐creation is becoming increasingly popular among companies, and intensive communication with customers is generally seen as a determinant of the success of a new service or product. The purpose of this study is to analyze customer co‐creation based on four dimensions of communication – frequency, direction, modality, and content – in order to understand the value of customer co‐creation in service innovation. One of the key aims of the study is to investigate whether all dimensions of customer co‐creation have an effect on product and market success, and if the effect depends on the degree of innovativeness of a development project.

The authors conducted a study including 334 managers with experience in new service and product development to examine how development projects applied customer co‐creation in terms of communication in order to address future customer needs. Data were analyzed using partial least squares (PLS). The first analysis was performed with a sub‐sample of 207 development projects regarding incremental innovations. A subsequent analysis was performed with a sub‐sample of 77 development projects on radical innovations.

A total of three of the four dimensions of customer co‐creation (frequency, direction, and content) have a positive and equally significant effect on product success when developing incremental innovations. For radical innovations, frequency has a positive effect and content has a negative significant effect on product success. These findings suggest that co‐creation and innovation can be combined, but that the choice of methods for co‐creation differs depending on whether incremental or radical innovations are developed.

Despite a general consensus that co‐creation with customers is beneficial, there is a lack of agreement regarding how and why. The present article addresses this shortcoming and shows that co‐creation is largely about communicating with customers in order to understand their future needs. On the other hand, a company working on radical innovations may wish to limit customer input that is too concrete or solution based.

Based upon primary research, the purpose of this paper is to highlight the three main sources of frustration about the marketing scholars’ community current status quo. It delivers feasible solutions and describes, using the example of the Special Issue, how to overcome these challenges and provide the research environment all desire.

Editorial paper summarizing the Special Issue's contributions and observations from the marketing scholar community.

The three main sources of frustration for marketing scholars about the current system are, first, review and publishing processes, second, the dominant epistemological and methodological approach in academe, encouraging an increasing specialization and reliance on generating more and more quantitatively driven knowledge and finally, the lack of acceptance (and outright disdain) for research with a managerial, applied emphasis.

But it surely is not mission impossible to build the research environment that is wanted. To build the research environment the community desires and to be “back where we belong,” to be relevant means the need to do more than just engaging in lip service. Rather than complying with the system causing frustration, the paper asks all to take an active part in the change process. The paper strongly encourages all, as editors, reviewers, colleagues, mentors and supervisors to do so and take some chances. Engage in and support brave research.

The authors hope that the paper will stimulate research widely accessible to both managers, and a broader audience. This will eventually lead to a better reputation and public opinion toward marketing scholars and research.

Rather than simply stating the main frustrations of the marketing scholar community, and calling for changes, the authors demonstrate how these challenges can be overcome, and deliver platforms to communicate and lead both the conversation and the actions to achieve the research community most desire.

This paper introduces the special issue on service innovation management.

Provides a brief review of the papers within the issue.

Compares and contextualizes the contributions, finding that the papers use state of the art methodologies and each furthers knowledge of service innovation management – a recently emerged academic discipline.

The perspectives considered represents a small sample of the diversity that exists within this area.