University–Industry Partnerships in the Age of Digital Marketing: Constructing Sustainable Higher Education Brands

ABSTRACT This study explores how universities and industry partners co‐create sustainable brand meanings in the digital environment. Grounded in Brand Co‐creation Theory, it conceptualises branding as a relational and participatory process in which multiple actors jointly construct legitimacy and responsibility. Using a digital case study design, the research maps six authentic university–industry collaborations—three in Asia and three in Europe—drawing on publicly available online data including campaign websites, social media posts, press releases, and corporate sustainability reports. Three collaborations are examined as focal cases based on data completeness and representativeness of distinct co‐creation logics, while the remaining three provide comparative reference points. The findings reveal three interrelated mechanisms that sustain credibility in digital co‐creation: ethical alignment, ensuring coherence between educational and corporate values; relational continuity, maintaining partnerships through iterative engagement over time; and symbolic authenticity, generating ‘proof‐of‐practice’—publicly verifiable traces of concrete actions and outputs that allow audiences to evaluate sustainability claims beyond rhetoric. Across the three focal cases—HKUST × HK Express, University of Leeds × Marks & Spencer, and University of Glasgow × SP Energy Networks—these dimensions manifest respectively as participatory, practical, and institutional forms of collaboration. The study extends Brand Co‐creation Theory to the higher‐education context and demonstrates that sustainable branding in this sector operates less as market promotion than as mutual legitimacy exchange. Ultimately, it argues that effective university–industry partnerships build visibility through shared responsibility, transforming branding into a communicative practice of sustainability and trust.