Co-creation: a B2C and B2B comparative analysis

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to qualitatively analyze and compare people's objectives when participating in two sets of co-creation initiatives - business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) - to what the theory in the field states about that participation. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach has been adopted; it uses laddering, a qualitative technique, in a novel manner through the analysis of an abstract product: the co-creation process. Findings Results in B2C point to a disconnection between the motivation of participants and what the theory suggests that should be expected from a co-creation agenda. In the B2B setting, the disconnections are much smaller. Originality/value The present study is innovative in the use of laddering to understand not a product nor a service, but a process: co-creation. The study reveals that, despite the buzz about co-creation, practical examples suggest that this process may not be as fruitful or satisfying as the theories suggest.