Marketers are consumers too: integrating consumer-self in potential value creation

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which a marketer’s own priorities as a consumer infiltrate workplace decision-making and how this contamination influences the creation of potential value for the end consumer. The “black box” of the organisation is opened to investigate potential value creation at an individual/manager level of analysis. Design/methodology/approach The authors gathered in-depth qualitative data from amongst marketing managers and directors in the UK, Australia and the USA. The authors theorised these data through boundary theory to develop an integrated producer-as-consumer potential value creation model. Findings The paper reveals the dynamic interplay in marketing/production decision-making between the individual’s consumer-self, manager-self and the external interface with the organisation. Research limitations/implications The producer-as-consumer potential value creation model illuminates the complex role of the firm and its individual managers in the creation of potential value and identifies contingencies that result in a spectrum of possible potential value creation outcomes. These contributions are positioned within the marketing value creation and co-creation literatures. Practical implications Marketing organisations/managers may find this research useful when considering the benefits and drawbacks of integrating managers’ consumer-self insights into workplace decision-making and the creation of potential value for the end consumer. Originality/value This paper moves value creation/co-creation theory forward by revealing the dynamic potential value creation process and presenting a fluid representation of producers-as-consumers, at individual manager level. This paper is of interest to academic and marketing practitioner audiences.