Rethinking customer engagement design: Using customer-mobilized engagement (CME) to grow business networks

The purpose of this paper is to propose a conceptual framework customer-mobilized engagement (CME) pathways where customers actively identify, engage, and mobilize hidden (new) actors (and their resources) who are beyond the reach focal organization. As large proportion value stems from connections with multiple business networks, an organization's customer network becomes important strategic asset contributing competitive advantage survival. Taking propositional approach, we conceptualize CME pathway elaborate on factors critical drawing two organizations for illustrative purposes. We develop three propositions explaining how actors, resources, platforms connect dynamically via mobilizing customer. reinterpreted communicative proposition increases contribution enhances expands outcomes within including increased sustainable Adopting adds new in different ways deliver diverse streams grow networks. provides industrial marketing managers agile tool guide design offerings which can adapt across contexts time as social, economic, political technological environment changes.