Abstract
In green advertising, the message focus is often associated with one of two benefits: the self-benefit focus and the other-benefit focus. However, determining which of the two benefit foci is more effective in generating positive consumer responses is still debatable. To explain the complexity of the mixed findings, we have explored advertising appeals that influence the perception of the environmental performance of the product, or green performance perception. Specifically, we have examined the self- and other-benefit types with three performance-based appeals (before, after, and before–after appeals) in relation to perceived green performance and brand attitudes. A 2 × 3 ANOVA of perceived green performance with data from 390 participants reveals a significant two-way interaction. Results from comparing the three types of performance-based appeals indicate that, regardless of the beneficiary foci type, the before–after appeal works best in generating greater perceived green performance, which, in turn, leads to positive brand attitudes. When promoting the green benefit of others, we recommend using before-appeals to enhance a product’s green performance perceptions and after-appeals for self-benefit-focused advertisements; if not, before–after appeals are used.
Highlights
Since the environmental movement in the late 1960s, a growing number of companies have adopted sustainability in their business practices and being required to comply environmental regulations, and strategically communicated their efforts in corporate social responsibility to consumers [1,2]
We explore the different effects of the three types of product performance appeals: (1) before–after appeals, which compare a problematic condition with an improved condition after using the advertised product, (2) before-appeals, which show only a problematic condition and evoke the need for the product, and (3) after-appeals, which show the satisfactory condition to generate positive perceptions of product performance
This study demonstrates the effects of self- and other-benefit types with three performance-based appeals on perceived green performance and brand attitudes
Summary
Since the environmental movement in the late 1960s, a growing number of companies have adopted sustainability in their business practices and being required to comply environmental regulations, and strategically communicated their efforts in corporate social responsibility to consumers [1,2]. Do consumers perceive green products as more expensive [13], but they view these products as inferior to non-green product alternatives, increasing the amount of usage to achieve the same effect [14]. For these reasons, companies that advertise their green products may experience backfire at the expense of the product’s greenness [15]. Advertisers must find an effective strategy that influences green performance perception so that consumers can form positive attitudes toward the product and feel confident in their choice of green products
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