Creative ideas for creativity research in marketing: Creativity connects, frees, and empowers

Kim, Sahoon

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/124670 Copy

Description

Title

Creative ideas for creativity research in marketing: Creativity connects, frees, and empowers

Author(s)

Kim, Sahoon

Issue Date

2024-04-23

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Goncalo, Jack

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

• Goncalo, Jack
• Rindfleisch, Aric

Committee Member(s)

• Rodas, Maria
• Rucker, Derek

Department of Study

Business Administration

Discipline

Business Administration

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• Creativity
• Power
• Branding
• Autonomy

Abstract

Creativity—is it simply a means to achieve innovation within companies? Creativity stands as one of the most important forces driving firm growth, particularly in the 21st century. Over the past five decades, the focus of creativity research has predominantly been on enhancing individual creative performance to drive product, brand, and organizational innovation. However, what is the impact of creativity on consumers, or more generally, humans? In my dissertation, I explore the psychological feelings that consumers experience as they think creatively, especially in the context of creative idea generation. My findings reveal that it fosters a sense of autonomy, although ironically, it can also evoke fear of judgment (Essay 1). Such autonomy gains can benefit certain groups of consumers who lack a sense of autonomy (e.g., low power individuals) more, because low feelings of autonomy were holding them back from reaching their full creative potential (Essay 2). Lastly, brands are encouraged to solicit creative ideas—which are inherently personal and unique—from consumers because sharing something private can eventually make consumers feel more connected to brands (Essay 3). I begin this dissertation by laying out the theoretical framework of the three essays in Chapter 1. The cost of freedom. In Chapter 2 (Essay 1), I demonstrate that the consequences of creative ideation can be a double-edged sword—boosting feelings of autonomy while at the same time triggering a fear of judgement. In three pre-registered experiments (N = 740), participants were asked to generate either creative or non-creative ideas for consumer products. Participants in the creative (vs. non-creative) ideation condition reported feeling a higher sense of autonomy while completing the task (Study 1). This feeling of autonomy emerged because participants instructed to generate creative ideas were able to cross multiple idea domains and cross idea boundaries during the process (Studies 2 and 3). However, creative ideation also increased evaluation apprehension because the freedom to think divergently affords the opportunity for choice, which heightens the fear of judgement (Study 3). Low power warm-up effect. In Chapter 3 (Essay 2), I apply the finding from Essay 1 that creative ideation increases feelings of autonomy and advance theory on the effect of power on creativity over time. Prior research suggests that having power makes individuals more creative, because the powerful—who feel autonomous—are less conforming and more willing to break with convention. I investigate the possibility that lower power individuals can also be creative when given the opportunity to gain feelings of autonomy by completing a creative task more than once. In Study 1 (N = 153), I divided a creative ideation session into two consecutive rounds and found that low (vs. high) power individuals were less creative in the first round (replicating prior research), but low power individuals improved in the second round, attenuating the low power disadvantage. I replicated this effect in Study 2 (N = 121; pre-registered), with a different creativity task (i.e., structured imagination task) and expanded timeframe (i.e., five rounds instead of two). In Study 3 (N = 179; pre-registered), I again replicated this warm-up effect using two different creativity tasks that allowed me to rule out alternative explanations. Creativity connects. In Chapter 4 (Essay 3), I apply finding from Essay 1 that creative ideation allows one to make choices. Such choice-making process makes one feel like disclosing one’s self and thus the idea generator and the idea reader can form connections. I investigate this effect in the context of crowdsourcing campaigns where consumers generate ideas for brands. In six pre-registered lab and field experiments (N = 1,496), participants engaged in either a creative or less-creative product idea generation task. Those in the creative (vs. less-creative) task condition reported feeling a stronger self-brand connection (Study 1A, 1B, 1C) and subsequently were more likely to choose a product that is connected to the brand (Study 4). The mechanism, feelings of self-disclosure, was tested by both mediation (Study 2) and moderation (Study 3). Correlational evidence from the studies also shows that those who generated more creative ideas felt higher self-brand connection. Together, Essays 1, 2, and 3 provide implications for managers, policy makers, educators, and academics. For instance, Essay 3 provides insights for managers on how consumers who generate more creative outcome form stronger connections with brands, thereby highlighting the value of creative ideation for brand success. Essay 2’s findings can help politicians support low power individuals, including students from low-income families or low SES entrepreneurs, by providing a social safety net for them to “warm-up” enough to realize their full creative potential. Essay 1’s findings can provide meaningful insights for educators and managers who try to maximize feelings of autonomy (known to fuel intrinsic motivation, for example) in class and at work.

Graduation Semester

2024-05

Type of Resource

Thesis

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2024 Sahoon Kim

Owning Collections