Dr. Lukas Maier is an Assistant Professor at the Institute for Marketing Management, WU Vienna. He obtained his PhD from FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg. In his dissertation “A Consumer Perspective on Open Innovation,” he focused on the psychological and behavioral consequences of firms’ open innovation activities for consumers. During his PhD program, he was visiting scholar at WU Vienna and at the Sauder School of Business (University of British Columbia). In research and teaching, he focuses on innovation-related marketing topics (e.g., creativity and new product development) as well as how to how to change people’s behaviors for the social good (e.g., engaging in sustainable behavior and making responsible choices).
Profiting From Non-profits? When and How Collaborating With Non-profit Organizations in New Product Development Increases Consumer Preferences for Sustainable Products
Despite existing consumer demands for sustainable products, positive attitudes and good intentions often still do not result in corresponding consumer behavior, such as purchasing sustainable products. In the research project, a novel marketing approach will be proposed and tested to encourage consumers to purchase sustainable products. In particular, it will be examined whether and how informing consumers that a given sustainable product has been co-developed together with a non-profit organization influences purchase likelihood and product choice. In sum, the research project shows that collaborating with non-profits may not only lead to more sustainable product innovations but also to more sustainable consumer behavior.