Selling sustainability: making green advertising more concrete with circular economy message framing

Abstract

Advertising for green products is often deemed too abstract, limiting some consumers’ interest in purchase. Examination of how to reduce this perceived abstractness is scant. Drawing on construal level theory, conceptual metaphor theory and the circular economy, we propose that circular economy message framing can reduce the perceived abstractness of green advertising because it is based on the conceptual metaphor of a circle. This reduced abstractness, in turn, increases green advertising effectiveness. Two studies demonstrate that circular economy framing of green advertising claims on laundry detergent packaging elicits more concrete interpretation, particularly for consumers in a more concrete mindset who previous research shows are unaffected by green advertising’s perceived abstractness. This more concrete interpretation leads to a willingness to pay more for the advertised brand. A third study shows that when consumers are exposed to an educational video that frames sustainability as the circular economy, they perceive sustainability as more concrete and are more willing to engage in sustainable consumption behaviors than consumers who are exposed to an unrelated video. Findings offer insights for theory and practice to increase green advertising’s effectiveness and improve the uptake of sustainable consumption.