Word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing-firms' intentional influencing of consumer-to-consumer communications-is an increasingly important technique. Reviewing and synthesizing extant WOM theory, this article shows how marketers employing social media marketing methods face a situation of networked coproduction of narratives. It then presents a study of a marketing campaign in which mobile phones were seeded with prominent bloggers. Eightythree blogs were followed for six months. The findings indicate that this network of communications offers four social media communication strategies-evaluation, embracing, endorsement, and explanation. Each is influenced by character narrative, communications forum, communal norms, and the nature of the marketing promotion. This new narrative model shows that communal WOM does not simply increase or amplify marketing messages; rather, marketing messages and meanings are systematically altered in the process of embedding them. The theory has definite, pragmatic implications for how marketers should plan, target, and leverage WOM and how scholars should understand WOM in a networked world.

Word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing-firms' intentional influencing of consumer-to-consumer communications-is an increasingly important technique. Reviewing and synthesizing extant WOM theory, this article shows how marketers employing social media marketing methods face a situation of networked coproduction of narratives. It then presents a study of a marketing campaign in which mobile phones were seeded with prominent bloggers. Eightythree blogs were followed for six months. The findings indicate that this network of communications offers four social media communication strategies-evaluation, embracing, endorsement, and explanation. Each is influenced by character narrative, communications forum, communal norms, and the nature of the marketing promotion. This new narrative model shows that communal WOM does not simply increase or amplify marketing messages; rather, marketing messages and meanings are systematically altered in the process of embedding them. The theory has definite, pragmatic implications for how marketers should plan, target, and leverage WOM and how scholars should understand WOM in a networked world. Marketers and sociologists have recognized the importance of the phenomenon of word of mouth (WOM)-conceptualized as a naturally occurring phenomenon-for more than half a century, proposing, for example, that WOM affects the majority of all purchase decisions (Brooks 1957; Dichter 1966). However, these theories and observations about informal, unsolicited WOM were con- The Internet's accessibility, reach, and transparency have empowered marketers who are interested in influencing and monitoring WOM as never before. This article is situated firmly within this new marketing reality. We offer theory that integrates these transformations into the world of WOM. We begin with an overview of the development of WOM theory and its assumptions, placing recent developments into historical context. Building on this framework, we detail our empirical investigation of an online WOMM campaign that engaged consumers who were seeded with a new technology device to generate WOM in their personal blogs. Our findings specify how this marketing process unfolds in the realm of consumer-to-consumer WOM communications. We discuss both theoretical and managerial implications. KeywordsWe discover and demonstrate four distinct blogger communication strategies in response to the product seeding. These communication strategies are marked by the prominent tension between commercial and communal norms. In addition, they are shaped to fit the represented individual blogger narratives. These communication strategies have specific implications for how marketers should leverage WOMM campaigns, both online and offline. The Transformation of WOM TheoryAs markets change, marketing theories must also change to accommodate them. In this section, we provide an assumptive frame for this article by briefly reviewing the develop-

Design thinking has attracted considerable interest from practitioners and academics alike, as it offers a novel approach to innovation and problem‐solving. However, there appear to be substantial differences between promoters and critics about its essential attributes, applicability, and outcomes. To shed light on current knowledge and conceptualizations of design thinking we undertook a multiphase study. First, a systematic review of the design thinking literature enabled us to identify 10 principal attributes and 8 tools and methods. To validate and refine our findings, we then employed a card sorting exercise with professional designers. Finally, we undertook a cluster analysis to reveal structural patterns within the design thinking literature. Our research makes three principal contributions to design and innovation management theory and practice. First, in rigorously deriving 10 attributes and 8 essential tools and methods that support them from a broad and multidisciplinary assortment of articles, we bring much needed clarity and validity to a construct plagued by polysemy and thus threatened by “construct collapse.” Second, aided by the identification of perspectives of scholars writing about design thinking, we provide detailed recommendations for relevant topics warranting further study in order to advance theoretical understanding of design thinking and test its applications. Third, we identify the enduring, yet essential, questions that remain unresolved across the extant design thinking literature and that may impede its practical implementation. We also provide suggestions for the theoretic frames, which may help address them, and thus advance the ability of scholars and managers alike to benefit from design thinking’s apparent advantages.

His main areas of expertise are design and innovation management, strategy implementation, and performance management. He has published in various journals including Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Research Policy, Journal of Product Innovation Management, and International Journal of Operations and Production Management. He has worked as a practitioner and a management consultant with over 50 organizations. Currently he is carrying out research on design thinking and digital transformation in large firms.