Lead Users and Early Adopters on the Web: The Role of New Technology Product Blogs

• Published in: The Journal of product innovation management Vol. 27; no. 1; p. 66
• Main Authors: Droge, Cornelia, Stanko, Michael A, Pollitte, Wesley A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.01.2010
• Subjects: Blogs; Marketing mixes; Product development; Studies; Technological change
• ISSN: 0737-6782; 1540-5885
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-5885.2009.00700.x;TIB-ZO3466

Lead users and early adopters are often blogging or reading and commenting on blogs. Blogs, which are characterized by postings, links, and readers' comments, create a virtual "community" of blogger and readers. The significance of blogging to New product development (NPD) managers also lies in the shift of focus from being separate from to being immersed in these communities. Immersion enhances the potential of close relationships, sharing experiences, and co-creating value with blogging communities through innovation. The focus of the study is on the roles of blogs in new product development, and an exploratory content analysis of new technology product blog postings is described. The goal was to examine what blogs actually say (and don't say) and to classify content based on the core elements of the marketing mix: product (including attributes and service aspects); price (including price comparisons); channel; and promotion. Implicitly or explicitly, blogs can position the value proposition of the product in a prime target audience's mind. Such positioning could be advantageous or catastrophic as far as the NPD manager is concerned.