ABSTRACT
The motivation for the study arose from the idea that firms developing radical innovations may be facing “a mission impossible.” On the one hand, in order to succeed, they have to develop innovations that fulfill the needs of customers, while on the other hand, in the case of radical innovations, they may not even know who the prospective customers might be. Furthermore, even if the customers are known, they often do not recognize the need for a completely new kind of product or service. Hence, reacting to customer needs and wishes is often not possible. Proactive behavior toward customers, in other words anticipating and influencing them, may thus be the key issue in building the bridge between the innovation and the market.
