How to enhance new product creativity in the online brand community?

An online brand community (OBC) is one of the most important sources of creativity in modern times. While there is substantial evidence concerning both OBCs and creativity, there remains little understanding of how new product creativity is enhanced in an OBC. The results of a survey of 208 paired usable questionnaires (from each firm's NPD executive and OBC member), reveal that before interacting with creativity capabilities, a creative climate of OBCs can only impact meaningfulness of new product creativity. However, the interaction of a creative climate of OBCs and creativity capabilities has direct impact on both novelty and meaningfulness of new product creativity. Our findings suggest that firms' creativity capabilities can act as an enhancer of the creative climate of OBCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]