Some good news for universities and business schools as new research finds they strengthen the legitimacy of products that they are linked to. 

New research from Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) reveals that people actually prefer products developed by universities.

A series of comprehensive studies conducted by Lukas Maier, Assistant Professor of Marketing, Martin Schreier and fellow researchers have demonstrated a strong positive impact when products are linked to university collaborations.

The research underscores the enhanced “scientific legitimacy” that university partnerships give to companies, making their products more appealing. The effect is especially notable in high-tech products.

It was found that advertisements which highlight university-industry partnerships lead to significantly higher click-through rates and ad engagement but, what was also striking, was that products developed with universities are more attractive to consumers even after an actual product trial. In fact, consumers are willing to pay up to 65% more for products marketed as university co-developed.

“At the core of our theorising is the idea that collaborating with a university infuses the underlying firm with stronger scientific legitimacy, thereby making the resulting product more attractive to consumers. A firm with scientific legitimacy is viewed as being capable of developing cutting-edge technological innovations,” Maier says.

These findings highlight the significant commercial benefits of university-industry collaborations and their potential to drive consumer preference and increase revenue. The paper was published in The Journal of Marketing.

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