From Transaction-Based to Relationship-Based Marketing in the German-Speaking Higher Education Market: An Integrated 8P Relational Framework for Increasing Trust, Co-Creation, and Student Loyalty

Purpose: The starting point for this research article is the structural change in recruitment and competition logic that can be observed in the German-speaking higher education market, in the course of which transaction-oriented marketing paradigms are losing their explanatory power and steering effect under market-ready conditions, digitized expectation architectures, and the increasing interchangeability of academic performance promises. In this constellation, the study will investigate a conceptual redefinition of the expanded 8P higher education marketing mix as a relational reference model that integrates trust—understood as brand belief—co-creation, and student loyalty as central, interdependent mechanisms of value creation and stabilization. This study addresses the gap between relationship marketing, participatory value creation, and impact-oriented control, which has previously been discussed only in a fragmented way, lacks empirical support, and is under-theorized regarding its measurement and performance implications. Design/methodology/approach: Accordingly, the study reported here follows a theory-driven framework development approach. Building on relational marketing literature, higher education marketing and brand management research, as well as co-creation and stakeholder perspectives, the 8P model (product, price, place, promotion, people, process, physical evidence, and participants) is systematically reconstructed for the DACH context. In addition, an integrative impact model is developed that contrasts transactional and relational logics, specifies central mediation paths (including trust, engagement, and identification), and conceptually substantiates a measurement logic for evaluating relational programs (including CRM and AI-supported measures). Findings: An integrated 8P relational framework is presented, which (1) clarifies the role of participants from a passive target group to active co-creators of value, (2) reoperationalizes the 8P elements along relational mechanisms (personalization, dialogue, service and experience architecture, community, and alumni ecosystems), and (3) establishes a coherent link between communication positioning (inbound logic), brand belief, co-creation, and retention. In addition, testable propositions are formulated that structure the effect of relational instruments on conversion and retention metrics as well as on reputation and advocacy-related outcomes, thus providing an empirically connectable research agenda. Research limitations/implications: However, the contribution is primarily conceptual; the proposed impact pathways and measurement models require context-sensitive empirical validation in different types of higher education institutions (universities, universities of applied sciences, and private providers) and across the student lifecycle (prospects–enrolled–alumni). Future research should use causal designs and longitudinal data to test the stability of trust, co-creation, and loyalty under digital interaction conditions and to increase the comparability of relational versus transactional measures using standardized ROI and retention metrics. Practical implications: For universities in the DACH region, this exploratory study provides a strategic and operational decision-making framework that conceptually underpins and logically structures the transition from campaign-centered, primarily acquisition-focused communication to data-based, relationship-oriented programs. In this context, we identify starting points for designing personalized CRM architectures, AI-supported segmentation and trigger logic, and service- and process-oriented moments of truth, linking them to alumni and community engagement mechanisms as a scalable retention infrastructure. The result is an operationalizable perspective for university management that can be used to integrate marketing, student services, and organizational development in a way that is connected, innovative, and sustaina…