Innovation adoption and commercialization: reference marketing in communities of practice

Abstract

The paper addresses the use and perceptions of reference marketing for innovation management, particularly in a community of practice (CoP). The study explores how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can use reference marketing and how the messages are perceived by customers in the healthcare sector, a sector characterized by high risk, multiprofessional communities, and complex decision structures. Based on eleven semi-structured interviews among surgeons who form a CoP, the study develops new understanding of reference marketing from a customer perspective for innovation commercialization in CoPs. The study results are useful for sellers who offer innovations to professional communities but who have yet to achieve a larger acceptance and adoption of their product. This paper contributes to innovation management literature and B2B marketing by introducing a reference marketing tool for SMEs to bridge innovation adoption within CoPs.