Product design and creativity

Product design is an important aspect of the marketing mix and a crucial reflection of brand discourse and positioning. The tradition of conventional marketing goes together with a functionalist conception of product design, which prevailed for a long time. The notion of appropriation is crucial for the marketer and the designer. Designing and selling a functional and aesthetic high-performance product is not enough; to be successful it must conform to the consumer’s world. The conventional conception of marketing too often sees design as an “aesthetic touch” at the end of the process of making the product. Product design is part of a whole brand language with its specific signs, codes, and meanings, to be staged by managers. For managers to generate creativity and increase brand consistency awareness, a research program can combine different approaches. Analyzing online communities using both ethnography and semiotics together with focus groups, for instance, will facilitate consumer-inspired insights and innovations.