Rebecca Slotegraaf is the Associate Dean for Research and Neal Gilliatt Chair and Professor of Marketing. Her research focuses on understanding when new product introductions, environmental sustainability, and brand strength influence a firm’s financial returns and competitive advantage. She has published in numerous top-ranked marketing and management journals, including the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, International Journal of Research in Marketing, and Organization Science. Her research was a finalist for the Jan Benedict Steenkamp Award for Long-term Impact and earned the Jagdish N. Sheth Award. She currently serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Marketing and the Journal of Marketing Research and serves on the Editorial Boards of five other top-ranked journals. She also served as an Associate Editor for the 3rd Edition of the PDMA New Product Management Handbook. Professor Slotegraaf has taught at the undergraduate, MBA, and PhD levels, and received the Indiana University Trustees Teaching award in 2014 and 2018. She also received an innovative teaching award from the Kelley School of Business in 2008. Professor Slotegraaf has worked with several companies and builds her insights from work across several industries, including automotive, consumer durables, fast-moving consumer goods, high-technology, and pharmaceuticals.
Innovative Teaching Award, Kelley School of Business, 2008
American Marketing Association Doctoral Consortium Faculty Fellow, 2008
Faculty Research Award, Kelley School of Business, 2007
Marketing Science Institute Young Scholar, 2007
3M Research Scholar, Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, 2005, 2006
3M University Relations Faculty Grant, Indiana University, 2005, 2006
Jagdish N. Sheth Award for the Best Paper, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 2004
AMA Doctoral Consortium Fellow, 1999
Selected Publications
Slotegraaf, R. J. (2021). Paving a Path for a Post-COVID Innovative Environment. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 38(2), 238-241.
Das, G., Jain, S. P., Maheswaran, D., Slotegraaf, R. J., and Srinivasan, R. (2021). Pandemics and Marketing: Insights, Impacts, and Research Opportunities. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 49, 835-854.
Ho-Dac, N. N., Kumar, M., and Slotegraaf, R. J. (2020). Using Product Development Information to Spur the Adoption of Continuous Improvement Products. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 48(6), 1156–1173.
Boyd, D. E., Kannan, P. K., and Slotegraaf, R. J. (2019). Branded Apps and Their Impact on Firm Value: A Design Perspective. Journal of Marketing Research, 56(1), 76-88.
Abstract
Although firms are increasingly launching branded mobile apps, an understanding of their influence on firm value remains elusive. Using stock market returns to assess firm value, the authors investigate the impact of branded mobile app announcements on such value. Moreover, recognizing that mobile apps generate various touchpoints in the customer journey, the authors also investigate how an app’s design shifts the effects of mobile apps on firm value. In particular, they investigate effects from whether an app emphasizes features related to peer-to-peer interactions about the brand, personal-oriented interactions between a customer and the brand, or the purchase phase itself. They find that the launch of a mobile app increases firm value and that the features emphasized in app design play an important role in such value creation. The study offers important implications regarding the accountability of branded mobile apps and provides direction for marketing theory and practice.
Kim, Y., and Slotegraaf, R. J. (2016). Brand-Embedded Interaction: A Dynamic and Personalized Interaction for Co-Creation. Marketing Letters, 27(1), 183-193.
Abstract
Recognizing the importance of timely access to market knowledge for successful new product development (NPD), extant research has theoretically argued and empirically shown the value of consumer co-creation during the NPD process. While most research views consumer-generated content as definite or fixed, this paper reveals how firms can enhance the value of consumer-generated ideas by facilitating the exchange of relevant information during co-creation. The authors introduce brand-embedded interaction as a process that enables consumers to generate new product ideas that not only reflect user needs but also align with the brand’s goals and capabilities. Results from two quasi-field experiments using Twitter show that a higher degree of dynamic interaction and personalization during co-creation enables consumers to generate more constructive new product ideas or ideas that are valuable to both consumers and firms. Results offer important implications for both theory and practice regarding co-creation and new product development.
Wu, Q., Luo, X., Slotegraaf, R. J., and Aspara, J. (2015). Sleeping with Competitors: The Impact of NPD Phases on Stock Market Reactions to Horizontal Collaboration. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(4), 490-511.
Abstract
Firms are increasingly collaborating with their competitors for new product development (NPD), yet the literature is almost silent on stock market reactions to these horizontal collaborations. Given the different skills and activities needed in each NPD phase, we analyze the differential stock market reactions to horizontal collaborations in the initiation, development, and commercialization phases of NPD. Analyses of a unique and comprehensive dataset with 831 NPD announcements of horizontal collaborations over 12 years reveal that, on average, the stock market reacts favorably to NPD-related horizontal collaboration in the initiation phase, but unfavorably in the development and commercialization phases. Further, these effects are asymmetrically moderated by the innovativeness of the new product and the collaborating competitor's relative market and technological powers. Overall, our results highlight that failing to examine the specific NPD phase leads to an incomplete understanding of stock market reactions to horizontal collaboration for NPD. We offer theoretical and managerial implications regarding horizontal collaboration for each NPD phase, along with the relevant NPD project and competitor contingencies.
Mahr, D., Rindfleisch, A., and Slotegraaf, R. J. (2015). Enhancing Crowdsourcing Success: the Role of Creative and Deliberate Problem-solving Styles. Customer Needs and Solutions, 2(3), 209-221.
Abstract
A growing number of firms are using crowdsourcing platforms to actively solicit the skills of external entities to help them solve innovation-related problems. Despite its increasing popularity, crowdsourcing has produced mixed success, because few external experts provide helpful solutions. The current research examines this issue by exploring why some external solvers are more successful than others. Grounded in dual-processing theory, this study combines survey and archival data to assess the impact of creative versus deliberate problem-solving styles on solving success. The results indicate that both styles can be effective, but their relative success depends on the amount of time a solver invests in a solution and his or her degree of contextual familiarity with the problem. Specifically, creative (deliberate) styles are more effective under conditions of high (low) contextual familiarity and shorter (longer) time investments. When solvers employ both styles, overall problem-solving success declines.
Olsen, M. C., Slotegraaf, R. J., and Chandukala, S. R. (2014). Green Claims and Message Frames: How Green New Products Change Brand Attitude. Journal of Marketing, 78(5), 119-37.
Abstract
In response to a top ten global consumer trend, firms are increasingly introducing environmentally sustainable ("green") new products. Firms allocate significant resources to this area; thus, the authors consider the brand-level implications by investigating how the introduction of green new products changes attitude toward the brand. In examining this relationship, they draw from social identity and framing theories to investigate drivers of green new product introductions as well as the moderating effects of message framing, source credibility, and product type. Estimating a three-stage least squares model based on new product introductions from 75 brands across a four-year time period (2009-2012), the authors find that green new product introductions can indeed improve brand attitude and that both the brand and category's positioning influence the introduction of green new products. They also find that the quantity of green messages, the product type, and their source credibility influence the extent to which green new products change brand attitude. The authors use these findings to provide guidance for managers as they attempt to effectively link their green innovation efforts to improve consumer attitudes toward their brands.
Mishra, S., and Slotegraaf, R. J. (2013). Building an Innovation Base: Exploring the Role of Acquisition Behavior. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 41(6), 705-721.
Abstract
Innovation serves as a foundation for sustainable competitive advantage. Therefore, it is no surprise that firms seek to build an innovation base—a reservoir of inventions, ideas, and discoveries that serve as a platform for their innovation efforts. One approach for building an innovation base is acquisitions, though extant research reveals an equivocal verdict on whether acquisitions influence post-acquisition inventions. In this research, the authors focus on type of acquisition, acquisition behavior over time, and invention characteristics to investigate how acquisition behavior influences postacquisition inventions. Analysis of 352 firms across five industries and 17 years reveals that firms who make acquisitions produce a stronger innovation base than those who make no acquisitions. Moreover, comparing effects across vertical and horizontal acquisitions, results indicate that the acquiring firm’s knowledge breadth plays an important role in determining which type of acquisition behavior generates the strongest influence on a firm’s innovation base.
Slotegraaf, R. J. (2012). Keep the Door Open: Innovating Toward a More Sustainable Future. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 29(3), 349-351.
Abstract
The article discusses innovation management and environmental sustainability from the author's perspective and in the context of new product development (NPD) and business practices. The pursuit of environmentally sustainable innovation through a theoretical framework based on the open innovation concept is discussed. Topics include the organization's adaptability regarding incremental innovation, collaboration or partnering along the value chain to increase recyclability of product packaging materials, and design competitions that engage consumers in an innovation process that leads to a competitive advantage.
