Tweeting innovation: Exploring the dissemination of open innovation initiatives

The open innovation (OI) paradigm is gaining public favor and can lead to positive brand associations. In this vein, in line with the institutional theory, formal and informal societal pressures drive the dissemination of OI initiatives, which is becoming a marketing tool for firms. Surprisingly, OI in communication and marketing is an under-researched area. This study addresses this gap in knowledge by analyzing the dissemination of OI initiatives on Twitter (X). It examines OI-related tweets to verify whether the presence of the term “open innovation” and the accuracy of an OI initiative’s description contribute to increasing the tweet interactions. This article shows that the term “open innovation”, as a keyword or hashtag, is beneficial only when associated with firms’ actual OI initiatives. Furthermore, it highlights that more transparent and specific tweets are more effective. Last, it provides recommendations to enhance the impact of OI communication and suggests future research opportunities.