How to Do Things With Words

The Architecture Of Cognition

Highlighting the important role of marketing in encouraging sustainable consumption, the current research presents a review of the academic literature from marketing and behavioral science that exa...

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0022242919825649

How to SHIFT Consumer Behaviors to be More Sustainable: A Literature Review and Guiding Framework:

When consumers doubt, Watch out! The role of CSR skepticism

The paper explores the influence of greenwash on green trust and discusses the mediation roles of green consumer confusion and green perceived risk. The research object of this study focuses on Taiwanese consumers who have the purchase experience of information and electronics products in Taiwan. This research employs an empirical study by means of the structural equation modeling. The results show that greenwash is negatively related to green trust. Therefore, this study suggests that companies must reduce their greenwash behaviors to enhance their consumers’ green trust. In addition, this study finds out that green consumer confusion and green perceived risk mediate the negative relationship between greenwash and green trust. The results also demonstrate that greenwash is positively associated with green consumer confusion and green perceived risk which would negatively affect green trust. It means that greenwash does not only negatively affect green trust directly but also negatively influence it via green consumer confusion and green perceived risk indirectly. Hence, if companies would like to reduce the negative relationship between greenwash and green trust, they need to decrease their consumers’ green consumer confusion and green perceived risk.

Greenwash and Green Trust: The Mediation Effects of Green Consumer Confusion and Green Perceived Risk

Of the many ethical corporate marketing practices, many firms use corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication to enhance their corporate image. Yet, consumers, overwhelmed by these more or less well-founded CSR claims, often have trouble identifying truly responsible firms. This confusion encourages ‘greenwashing’ and may make CSR initiatives less effective. On the basis of attribution theory, this study investigates the role of independent sustainability ratings on consumers’ responses to companies’ CSR communication. Experimental results indicate the negative effect of a poor sustainability rating for corporate brand evaluations in the case of CSR communication, because consumers infer less intrinsic motives by the brand. Sustainability ratings thus could act to deter ‘greenwashing’ and encourage virtuous firms to persevere in their CSR practices.

/pdf/how-sustainability-ratings-might-deter-greenwashing-a-closer-17k9i0zcv5.pdf

How Sustainability Ratings Might Deter “Greenwashing”: A Closer Look at Ethical Corporate Communication

Of the many ethical corporate marketing practices, many firms use corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication to enhance their corporate image. Yet consumers, overwhelmed by these more or less well-founded CSR claims often have trouble identifying truly responsible firms. This confusion encourages "greenwashing" and may make CSR initiatives less effective. On the basis of attribution theory, this study investigates the role of independent sustainability ratings on consumers' responses to companies' CSR communication. Experimental results indicate the negative effect of a poor sustainability rating for corporate brand evaluations in the case of CSR communication, because consumers infer less intrinsic motives by the brand. Sustainability ratings thus could act to deter "greenwashing" and encourage virtuous firms to persevere in their CSR practices.

How Sustainability Ratings Might Deter "Greenwashing": A Closer Look at Ethical Corporate Communication

An organic label offers a market signal for producers of organic food products. In Western economies, the label has gained high recognition, but organic food still represents a small part of total food consumption, which raises questions about the label's efficacy. By considering organic labels as a signal of quality for consumers, this article studies how this signal interacts with brand signals when both are visible to consumers, applying a cobranding framework. This research examines the moderating effect of the brand on organic label effects. In a 2 × 2 experimental design using real consumers (N = 122) in a shopping context, it found that, depending on brand equity, the marginal effect of organic labelling information in terms of perceived product quality varies. In particular, when brand equity is high (low), the organic label appears less (more) effective. However, regardless of the brand equity level, an organic label makes the environmentally friendly attribute salient, which has a positive impact on perceived quality. Pertinent implications for marketing and public policy are discussed.

/pdf/why-might-organic-labels-fail-to-influence-consumer-choices-22i5ugoisf.pdf

Why Might Organic Labels Fail to Influence Consumer Choices? Marginal Labelling and Brand Equity Effects

The objective of this research is to explore the decision-making process of consumers when faced with food products that have values-based labels. An experimental methodology was used to test the impact of a label of origin guaranteed by the European Union, the Protected Geographic Indications (PGI) label. The reactions of French consumers to photographs of two food products were investigated with four different presentations: without a specific label, with a simple regional label, with both a regional label and the PGI label, and finally, with the previous two labels along with an explanation of the nature of the PGI label. It was found that the impact on overall quality and purchase intention emerged only when the relatively unrecognized PGI label was explained to consumers, thus highlighting the importance of building awareness of a values-based label. When it was explained, however, the values-based label was shown to operate as an effective market signal that generated both descriptive and inferential beliefs in relation to the products bearing the label. These beliefs in turn explained consumers’ perception of overall quality and influenced purchasing intention. By investigating the dimensions of label equity and by explaining the mechanism whereby values-based labels are perceived by consumers, this research offers firms a methodology for improving the commercial viability of values-based labelling schemes. Policymakers can also benefit from these insights to develop clearer understanding of how labels are actually interpreted by consumers. Finally, consumers – individually and collectively – will be better served by labelling schemes that incorporate an understanding of their perspective.

Fabrice Larceneux

Papers

How Sustainability Ratings Might Deter “Greenwashing”: A Closer Look at Ethical Corporate Communication

How Sustainability Ratings Might Deter "Greenwashing": A Closer Look at Ethical Corporate Communication

Why Might Organic Labels Fail to Influence Consumer Choices? Marginal Labelling and Brand Equity Effects

Label equity and the effectiveness of values-based labels: an experiment with two French Protected Geographic Indication labels

Label equity and the effectiveness of values‐based labels: an experiment with two French Protected Geographic Indication labels