Green marketing messages and consumers' purchase intentions: Promoting personal versus environmental benefits

Abstract

This study examines whether consumers' purchase intentions are influenced by the type of green marketing communications message to which they are exposed, and whether this effect is moderated by their level of environmental involvement (EI), measured across cognitive, affective and behavioural attitude components. A sample of university students (N = 171) were exposed to one of three print advertisements showing a typical ad for the product, an ad promoting a personal benefit to product purchase and an ad promoting a pure environmental benefit. Results revealed no difference in purchase intention across the three types of advertisement; however, it was found that participants' level of environmental affect moderated the effect of the advertisements on purchase intention. Participants with higher environmental affect showed greater purchase intention when exposed to the pure environmental advertisement; those with a lower level of affect showed greater purchase intention when exposed to the personal environmental advertisement. Implications for the meaning and measurement of EI are discussed, as well as for marketers of green products.

Keywords::

• consumer behaviour
• green policy
• marketing communications
• advertising effectiveness

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank Coca-Cola Amatil for their permission to use the Mount Franklin water bottle image in Figure 1 and the tagline ‘Australia's premium spring water’ in the research design section.

Notes

^1. This interpretation is based on the results of Schuhwerk and Lefkoff-Hagius (1995) reported for the ANOVA they conducted, rather than on the t-tests they erroneously carried out and used to assess their hypotheses. With the overall ANOVA being found to be non-significant for the interaction between appeal type and environmental involvement for purchase intention, the t-tests were therefore unprotected, and the p-levels required for significance incorrectly applied.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Martin Grimmer

Martin Grimmer (BSc(Hons) MPsychOrg Qld PhD Tas) is an Associate Professor in the School of Management at the University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia. His research focuses on the effect of corporate reputation and green marketing communications on consumer purchase behaviour, and on consumer behaviour and identity, with specific reference to age cohorts. Martin has also conducted research on trends in the use of different research methodologies in marketing and in human resources. Martin teaches consumer behaviour and research methods, and has served as Dean of the Faculty of Business and Head of the School of Management at UTAS.

Meghann Woolley

Meghann Woolley (BComm(Hons) Tas) is a practicing marketer at Australian IBM Premier Business Partner, ISW, in Tasmania, where she is responsible for the strategy and execution of all online and offline branded communication materials and promotions, Australia-wide. A key part of her job and focus in marketing is the alignment of messaging and positioning of various products to attract the target market and generate sales leads. She has previously conducted research into the effectiveness of green marketing messages for the consumer market.