Altercast framing with assertive sustainability messages: how dominant brands can motivate non-green consumers

Abstract

Advertisers often use assertive messages because they minimize ambiguity, are attention-grabbing, and encourage behavioural compliance, making them a popular message design strategy in sustainability advertising. However, assertive messages often backfire for ‘non-green’ or lower environmental concern (LEC) consumers, generating more negative attitudes toward the ad sponsor and entrenching existing behaviours. Advertisers employ subtle phrasing to mitigate this adverse effect, reducing the message’s assertiveness. While research has investigated different variations of subtler message designs, no research has yet to explore how to maintain an assertive message toward achieving more favourable source attitudes and greater behavioural compliance intentions. The current research draws on message framing and altercasting theory to create a new concept – altercast framing – that preserves the core assertive message. Three experimental studies reveal that altercast framing can enhance brand attitudes and behavioural intentions for LEC consumers but only when the message source is a high (versus low) market share brand. This research contributes to advertising theory and practice by (a) developing a novel message framing concept that preserves the core message, (b) expanding on message assertiveness research by integrating both message sender and message receiver characteristics toward maximizing ad effectiveness, (c) identifying the differential effect of a specific message sender characteristic – market share – on assertive messages, and (d) outlining an advertising strategy that enhances behavioural compliance intentions for LEC consumers.

Keywords:

• Green advertising
• Sustainability
• Message framing
• Assertive messages
• Green consumers
• Market share
• Brand dominance

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tyler Milfeld

Tyler Milfeld (Ph.D. University of Tennessee, Knoxville) is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at Villanova University. He primarily studies corporate social responsibility advertising and message design. His work has been published in the Journal of Advertising, Journal of Product & Brand Management, and Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising. Before commencing his academic career, Tyler worked in various marketing and sales roles for four leading consumer goods companies.

Matthew Pittman

Matthew Pittman (Ph.D. University of Oregon) is an Assistant Professor in the Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He primarily studies sustainability campaigns and social media. His work has been published in the Journal of Advertising, Journal of Consumer Psychology, International Journal of Advertising, Computers in Human Behaviour, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Interactive Advertising, Journal of Media Ethics, Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising, and others.