Green advertising

: the effect of emotional and functional claims on ad effectiveness and behavioural intentions

Abstract

The discrepancy between consumers’ pro-environmental attitudes and green purchase behaviour illustrates the necessity to improve the marketing communication of green products’ value proposition. However, academic knowledge on the advertising effectiveness of different green ad appeals and the role of green involvement, particularly regarding mixed functional and emotional green ad appeals, remains scarce. Therefore, this research aims to understand which ad appeal, functional, emotional or their combination most strongly increases advertising effectiveness and behavioural intent as well as the role of consumers’ green involvement for consumers’ response. Additionally, it investigates how ad effectiveness variables predict behavioural intent. For this, a 2x3 factorial experiment based on a convenience sample, with 327 participants, examined the effectiveness of argument strength, individually and with social and moral emotional appeals, and the moderating role of green involvement. Findings revealed that argument strength increases advertising effectiveness primarily for medium involved consumers, whereas a social emotional appeal increases behavioural intent regardless of consumers’ green involvement, providing evidence for the latter as the superior ad appeal. However, there was no significant combined effect of a functional and emotional ad appeal. Consumers’ behavioural intent was found to be much more driven by the anticipated warm glow from the purchase than by green utilitarian benefits. Implications for scholars and managers are discussed.

Date of Award	29 Jun 2021
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Rita Coelho do Vale (Supervisor)