The impact of different emotional appeals on the purchase intention for green products: The moderating effects of green involvement and Confucian cultures

Abstract

By conducting field experiments with energy-saving and environment-friendly refrigerators, data concerning different emotional green appeals and consumers’ psychological responses were collected. Through the conditional process model analysis based on the data, the effects of different emotional green appeals on consumers’ attitude towards the advertisement, perceived value, and purchase intention were analyzed. This is not only the first time that the moderating effect of Confucian cultures was verified but also the first study that includes the admiring green appeal and the disdainful green appeal. Overall, part of the effects of the different emotional green appeals have separate impacts on consumers’ attitude toward advertisement, perceived value, and green purchase intention. Attitude and perceived value have significant mediating effect on the relationship between emotional green appeals and purchase intention in the framework of admiration vs disdain. Green involvement and Confucian culture are not qualified moderators in any situations. These conclusions provide important implications for the promotion of enterprises’ green appeal advertisements.