What are the social and personal drivers to engage in co-creation? A study of UK 7–13-year-olds

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the social and personal drivers of co-creation in children. Design/methodology/approach: A sample of 463 children aged between 7 and 13 years were recruited. Using electronic event-based diaries, 2,631 entries were captured during an 18-month period. Findings: Data from 861 entries identified a series of anomalous external social and personal factors that drove children to engage in co-creation. These were for maintaining external relationships, dealing with addiction to the co-creation process and dealing with personal loneliness. Research limitations/implications: The study reveals new, unconventional and gender-specific behaviours that might assist marketers in understanding children’s complex relationships with co-creation and brands. Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of its kind to examine children’s social and personal drives to engage in co-creation.