Motivating gender toward co-creation: a study on hedonic activities, social importance, and personal values

Recent research on co-creation has shown that consumers can be motivated to co-create value based on specific actions. However, existing research does not show how these motivators are impacted by consumers’ gender. To fill this gap, the current research utilizes motivational theories to examine co-creation in the context of gender. The results of three studies show that female and male consumers are motivated differently when it comes to co-creating value with a brand. Specifically, females are more likely to co-create with a brand when they find the activity to be hedonic, while males are more likely to co-create with a brand when they find the activity to be socially important. Both genders will co-create with a brand when the activity aligns with their personal values. The results of this research add to the current understanding of consumer motivation and behavior in the context of value co-creation, and provide brand managers with insights as to how to adapt their strategies to motivate female and male consumers to co-create brands.