Traditional marketing techniques often prove to be ineffective for the design and diffusion of truly innovative offers, hence the need for a real “innovation marketing”. In this context, Emmanuelle Le Nagard and Aurélie Hemonnet-Goujot discuss how this track of the R&D Management Conference seeks to gather contributions on concepts and methods that would help organizations to better understand and overcome this difficulty.

Track: Marketing Innovations: Adoption, diffusion and commercialisation

What do you think are the most disruptive influences impacting developments in your track?

Concerning the innovation process itself, the growing importance of design-thinking influences the market research techniques for innovation.

Secondly, co-innovation is an increasing phenomenon, and customers (individuals and companies) are more and more part of the process. Technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data foster this transformation. Furthermore, companies have to reflect on the subject of sustainability of innovations.

Can you describe some recent findings in this area that are of interest to you personally?

We are personally interested in works about adoption of new technologies such as Internet of Things, IA, robots.

A recent stream of research about obsolescence of products and resistance of customers to innovation is particularly of interest. The development of design-thinking and its interconnection with the more traditional innovation process within companies is also particularly important and promising.

If someone was new to this topic what would you suggest they read to get a quick overview of the issues?

• HAMDI‐KIDAR, Linda, KEINZ, Peter, LE NAGARD, Emmanuelle, et al. Comparing Lead Users to Emergent‐Nature Consumers as Sources of Innovation at Early Stages of New Product Development. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 2019, vol. 36, no 5, p. 616-631.
• HEMONNET‐GOUJOT, Aurélie, MANCEAU, Delphine, et ABECASSIS‐MOEDAS, Céline. Drivers and Pathways of NPD Success in the Marketing–External Design Relationship. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 2019, vol. 36, no 2, p. 196-223.

Marketing Innovations: Adoption, diffusion and commercialisation is one of the tracks at the 2020 R&D Management Conference being held at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, from 27 June-1 July – see more information here.

Track chairs:

Emmanuelle le Nagard, Professor of Marketing, ESSEC Business School. Visit her LinkedIn profile here.

Aurélie Hemonnet-Goujot, Assistant Professor in Marketing and Innovation, Aix-Marseille Graduate School of Management-IAE. Visit her LinkedIn profile here.