Moderated Mediation of Anticipatory Hope between Green Fashion Advertising Appeals and Word of Mouth

Abstract

Based on the stimulus-organism-response model, this study investigated the effects of three types of green performance appeals (i.e., before-, after-, and before/after-appeals) on consumer word of mouth (WOM) mediated by anticipatory hope. As the degree of consumer susceptibility to advertising varies by individual, individual perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE) was examined as a moderated mediating variable. A total of 191 responses were analyzed using SPSS 27.0 for analysis of variance and PROCESS procedure. Results showed the mediating role of anticipatory hope between advertising appeals and WOM: participants reported greater anticipatory hope when they viewed the advertisement with after- and before/after-appeals. This mediation was moderated by participants'' PCE. The effect of green performance appeals on WOM was mediated by participants'' anticipatory hope when their PCE was low; however, when participants'' PCE was high, the mediation was not significant. The findings show that advertising appeals highlighting the effectiveness of green performance can attract consumers who do not believe that product consumption affects a sustainable environment and spread WOM. This research provides insights to fashion brands by suggesting effective green advertising strategies that can increase consumers'' voluntary information-sharing behavior.