Rebecca J Slotegraaf

Rebecca joined the faculty in the fall of 2000, after receiving her PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research

Areas of Expertise

Marketing Strategy, Marketing Capabilities, New Product Development, Brand Management

Academic Degrees

• PhD, University of Wisconsin, 2000
• MSM, Purdue University, 1992
• BBA, Grand Valley State University, 1990

Awards, Honors & Certificates

• AMS Doctoral Consortium, Faculty Fellow, 2015
• Doctoral Student Association, Exceptional Inspiration and Guidance Award, Nominee, 2011, 2014, 2015
• Trustees Teaching Award, Indiana University, 2014 (winner), 2013 (finalist), 2008, 2009, 2011 (nominee)
• PDMA Research Competition, Award Winner, 2012, 2013
• AMA-Sheth Doctoral Consortium, Faculty Fellow, 2008, 2010, 2011
• PDMA-UIC Doctoral Consortium, Faculty Fellow, 2011
• 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

• Kim, Yuna, and Rebecca J. Slotegraaf (2016), "Brand-Embedded Interaction: A Dynamic and Personalized Interaction for Co-Creation," Marketing Letters, Vol. 27, No. 1, pp. 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.

• Mahr, Dominik, Aric Rindfleisch, and Rebecca J. Slotegraaf (2015), "Enhancing Crowdsourcing Success: the Role of Creative and Deliberate Problem-solving Styles," Customer Needs and Solutions, Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 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.

• Wu, Qingsheng, Xueming Luo, Rebecca J. Slotegraaf, and Jaakko Aspara (2015), "Sleeping with Competitors: The Impact of NPD Phases on Stock Market Reactions to Horizontal Collaboration," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 43, No. 4, pp. 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.

• Olsen, Mitchell C., Rebecca J. Slotegraaf, and Sandeep R. Chandukala (2014), “Green Claims and Message Frames: How Green New Products Change Brand Attitude,” Journal of Marketing, Vol. 78, No. 5 (September), pp. 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, Saurabh and Rebecca J. Slotegraaf (2013), “Building an Innovation Base: Exploring the Role of Acquisition Behavior,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 41, issue 6, pages 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, Rebecca J. (2012), “Keep the Door Open: Innovating Toward a More Sustainable Future,” Journal of Product Innovation Management, Vol. 29, No. 3, pp. 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.

• King, David R. and Rebecca J. Slotegraaf (2011), "Industry Implications of Value Creation and Appropriation Investment Decisions," Decision Sciences, Vol. 42, No. 2, pp. 511-529.

Abstract Managers face a critical task in making firm investment decisions that are targeted toward creating and appropriating value. As managers weigh their resource investment decisions, we argue that these investments have a direct impact on the growth and volatility of the firm’s industry. With data covering 377 industries across 16 years, we investigate relationships for aggregate firm investments on the growth and volatility of industry profit and sales. Results reveal important, complex relationships between investment in value creation and appropriation and different elements of the industry environment. Implications for management theory and practice are discussed.

• Slotegraaf, Rebecca J. and Kwaku Atuahene-Gima (2011), “Product Development Team Stability and New Product Advantage: The Role of Decision-making Processes,” Journal of Marketing, Vol. 75, No. 1, January, pp. 96-108.

Abstract Innovation scholars have long touted the value of cross-functional teams, and though firms have embraced a cross-functional design in their new product development (NPD) teams, these teams continue to face challenges. Stability in an NPD team may offer important advantages for decision making; however, its effectiveness as a structural coordination mechanism remains largely unexplored. Therefore, to offer insight into the value of NPD team stability, the authors develop a process-based model that examines the extent to which stability influences certain decision-making processes, which in turn influence new product advantage. They examine these relationships with a sample of cross-functional NPD project teams from 208 high-technology firms. The results reveal that the degree of stability in an NPD project team has a curvilinear relationship to team-level debate and decision-making comprehensiveness. In turn, whereas debate is positively related to decision comprehensiveness, decision comprehensiveness is positively related to new product advantage only at high levels. These curvilinear patterns shed light on anecdotal evidence that currently attributes success to both stable and unstable project teams.

• Morgan, Neil A., Rebecca J. Slotegraaf, and Douglas W. Vorhies (2009), "Linking Marketing Capabilities with Profit Growth," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Vol. 26, No. 4, pp. 284-293.

Abstract Profit growth is one of the primary drivers of a firm''s stock price and therefore is a clear priority for managers. Yet little is known about how a firm''s marketing capabilities may be linked with its profit growth. In this study, we use data from a cross-industry sample of 114 firms to investigate how market sensing, brand management, and customer relationship management (CRM) capabilities determine firms'' revenue growth and margin growth—the two components of profit growth. Our results reveal that these marketing capabilities have direct and complementary effects on both revenue and margin growth rates. Critically, we find that brand management and CRM capabilities have opposing effects on revenue and margin growth rates, such that a failure to examine these two underlying components would mask the relationships between these marketing capabilities and ultimate profit growth rates.

• Slotegraaf, Rebecca J. and Koen Pauwels (2008), "The Impact of Brand Equity and Innovation on the Long-term Effectiveness of Promotions," Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 45, No. 3, pp. 293-306.

Abstract Although managers often hope to obtain long-term benefits with temporary marketing actions, academic studies imply that their chances are slim. Extant research has implicitly assumed that the brand itself carries no influence over whether marketing promotions have the power to lift sales permanently. Using panel data for seven years from 100 brands across seven product categories, the authors employ a two-stage approach in which long-term promotional effectiveness is first estimated with persistence modeling and then these effectiveness estimates are related to brand equity and new product introductions. By examining a broad range of brands in each category, the authors find that positive sales evolution from promotional efforts is fairly common, especially for small brands. Moreover, the authors find that both permanent and cumulative sales effects from marketing promotions are greater for brands with higher equity and more product introductions, whereas brands with low equity gain greater benefits from product introductions. These results offer new research and managerial insights into the presence and conditions for persistent benefits from marketing promotions.

• King, David R., Rebecca J. Slotegraaf, and Idalene Kesner (2008), "Performance Implications of Firm Resource Interactions in the Acquisition of R&D Intensive Firms," Organization Science, Vol. 19, No. 2, pp. 327-340.

Abstract We explore the role of resource interactions in explaining firm performance in the context of acquisitions. While we confirm that acquisitions do not lead to higher performance on average, we do identify that complementary resource profiles in target and acquiring firms are associated with abnormal returns. Specifically, we find that the interaction between acquiring firm marketing resources and target firm technology resources positively reinforce (complement) each other. Meanwhile, the interaction of acquiring and target firm technology resources negatively reinforce (substitute) one another. Implications for management theory and practice are identified.

• Grewal, Rajdeep and Rebecca J. Slotegraaf (2007), "Embeddedness of Organizational Capabilities," Decision Sciences, Vol. 38, No. 3, pp. 451-488.

Abstract Managers must regularly make decisions on how to access and deploy their limited resources in order to build organizational capabilities for a sustainable competitive advantage. However, failure to recognize that organizational capabilities involve complex and intricately woven underlying processes may lead to an incomplete understanding of how capabilities affect competitive advantage. As a means of understanding this underlying complexity, we discuss how managerial decisions on resource acquisition and deployment influence capability embeddedness and argue that capability embeddedness has an incremental effect on firm performance beyond the effects from organizational resources and capabilities. To investigate these issues, we present a hierarchical composed error structure framework that relies on cross-sectional data (and allows for generalizations to panel data). We demonstrate the framework in the context of retailing, where we show that the embeddedness of organizational capabilities influences retailer performance above and beyond the tangible and intangible resources and capabilities that a retailer possesses. Our results illustrate that understanding how resources and capabilities influence performance at different hierarchical levels within a firm can aid managers to make better decisions on how they can embed certain capabilities within the structural and social relationships within the firm. Moreover, understanding whether the underlying objectives of the capabilities that are being built and cultivated have convergent or divergent goals is critical, as it can influence the extent to which the embedded capabilities enhance firm performance.

• Jain, Shailendra P., Rebecca J. Slotegraaf, and Charles D. Lindsey (2007), "Towards Dimensionalizing Warranty Information: The Role of Warranty Redemption Costs," Journal of Consumer Psychology, Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 70-80.

Abstract Firms routinely offer warranties, often as attempts to differentiate their offerings from those of competitors. Despite this practice common to virtually every consumer durable category, extant research has been inconclusive regarding the effect of warranties on quality judgments. One potential limitation of these prior investigations is the failure to model a key element of a product warranty consumer-side transaction costs associated with warranty redemption. In this article, we introduce the role of consumer-side transaction costs associated with warranty redemption and examine the joint impact of warranty length and warranty redemption costs for brand names of varying strength on consumers'' judgments of product quality. Two experiments show that warranty length signals security but not quality, and that perceived quality increases as consumers'' warranty redemption costs decrease, provided that the warranty length is short. Different dimensions or aspects of warranties have different effects on perceived quality. The implications of the results for understanding conflicting findings in the warranty-quality literature are discussed.

• Luo, Xueming, Rebecca J. Slotegraaf, and Xing Pan (2006), “Cross-Functional Coopetition: The Simultaneous Role of Cooperation and Competition within Firms,” Journal of Marketing, Vol. 70, No. 2, pp. 67-80.

Abstract Extant marketing literature tends to view cross-functional relationships as primarily cooperative or competitive in nature, but not both. In contrast, this research focuses on cross-functional coopetition (i.e., the joint occurrence of cooperation and competition across functional areas within a firm). Using responses from midlevel managers and top executives, the authors find that cross-functional coopetition enhances a firm''s customer and financial performance. The authors further show that this influence is mediated by market learning, indicating that performance returns to cross-functional coopetition occurs through an underlying learning mechanism.

• Slotegraaf, Rebecca J. and J. Jeffrey Inman (2004), “Longitudinal Shifts in the Drivers of Satisfaction with Product Quality: The Role of Attribute Resolvability,” Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 41, No. 3, pp. 269-280.

Abstract Research on customer equity has reemphasized the value of understanding the factors that influence satisfaction and quality. Although research has shown that many factors influence perceptions of satisfaction and quality, it has failed to consider the potential for asymmetric effects that shift over time and are based on the attributes used to form such perceptions. Using automobile ownership experiences during the manufacturer warranty period, the authors show that as consumers approach the end of their product''s warranty period, satisfaction with attributes that can be remedied ("resolvable" attributes) declines at a greater rate, yet its effect on satisfaction with product quality intensifies. In contrast, satisfaction with attributes that cannot be remedied ("irresolvable" attributes) declines at a lesser rate, and its effect on satisfaction with product quality weakens over time. The authors also discuss implications for research and customer relationship management programs.

• Slotegraaf, Rebecca J. and Peter R. Dickson (2004), “The Paradox of a Marketing Planning Capability,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 32, No. 4, pp. 371-385.

Abstract Strategy scholars have long debated the value of formal planning, and research has offered inconsistent support for planning to enhance firm performance. Given these mixed empirical effects, we draw from the resource-based view of the firm to illustrate a paradox firms may face. In particular, a strong marketing planning capability may not only reduce the incidence of postplan improvisation but also contain inherent process rigidity. Since both of these can also increase performance, results illustrate a performance paradox in marketing planning.

• Slotegraaf, Rebecca J., Christine Moorman, and J. Jeffrey Inman (2003), “The Role of Firm Resources in Returns to Market Deployment,” Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 40, No. 3, pp. 295-309.

Abstract Researchers in marketing tend to adopt one of two approaches to examining competitive advantage: a focus on a firm''s resources or a focus on a firm''s strategic or tactical actions. The authors suggest that neither of these approaches by itself fully captures the drivers of competitive advantage. Focusing on marketing-specific actions referred to as market deployment, the authors investigate the roles of both resources and action by examining how the nature and level of a firm''s resources influence the success of the firm''s marketing actions. The results, based on a secondary data approach and a series of sequentially estimated hierarchical regression models, indicate that resource possession influences returns to market deployment. Specifically, higher levels of intangible marketing resources and intangible technological resources increase the effectiveness of market deployment related to distribution and coupon activity, whereas higher levels of financial resources decrease the effectiveness of these types of market deployment.

• Moorman, Christine and Rebecca J. Slotegraaf (1999), “The Contingency Value of Complementary Capabilities in Product Development,” Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 36, No. 2, pp. 239-257.

Abstract Current interdisciplinary research suggests that organizational capabilities have a direct, unconditional impact on firm performance. The authors extend this literature by developing a framework that proposes a contingency approach to the value of organizational capabilities. This framework highlights the effect of information in the external environment in stimulating firms to deploy their technology and marketing capabilities to influence the level and speed of relevant product development activities. Using a longitudinal quasiexperiment to isolate the effects of external information on the relationship between firm capabilities and product development outcomes, the authors obtain results that are consistent with this framework. The authors therefore conclude that the most valuable characteristic of firm capabilities may be their ability to serve as flexible strategic options. In this role, firms can deploy them in ways consistent with environmental forces.