Consumer Receptivity to Green Ads

Abstract

The overarching goal of this study is to clarify how individual characteristics may influence consumers to be more or less receptive to ecologically themed ad claims. An experiment compares the effectiveness of strong and weak green product claims with a cause-related marketing strategy to advertise a “green” product. The results suggest that consumers with positive attitudes toward environmental protection are equally receptive to all conditions tested. An analysis using a theoretically based structural equation model points to the important role played by perceived consumer effectiveness in creating positive responses.