PurposeThe purpose of this research is to contribute to a better understanding of deeper motivations and inhibitors of green consumer behavior in the context of emerging economies. Based on the findings, it aims to provide implications for marketers and policy making.Design/methodology/approachBased on an ethnographic approach, in‐depth interviews and observational data were used to study 15 Mexican families from four urban regions of Mexico with different incomes. Thematic analysis was used to develop and validate themes and codes.FindingsThe findings highlight three dominant themes related to uncertainty in the adoption of environmentally‐friendly behaviors: consumer confusion, trust and credibility, and compatibility. Overall, green behaviors seem to be ingrained in the traditional heritage of savings and frugality rather than based on strong environmental values. It is suggested that the factors that drive consumers from positive attitudes and intentions to the actual adoption of green behaviors are a combination of perceived personal benefits, decreased perceived risk and uncertainty, a sense of control over costs, and a decomposition and reconstruction of deeply embedded cultural values and practices.Practical implicationsPolicy makers and marketers are advised to build on collaborative efforts in order to facilitate comprehension and adoption of environmentally‐friendly behaviors and green products. In order to construct modernity alongside environmental responsibility, it seems indispensable to provide affordable lower‐priced alternatives for the low‐income segments of the market which constitute the vast majority of the population in emerging economies.Originality/valueBeing one of very few available qualitative studies on green consumer behavior, this study delves into the tension between modernity and traditional heritage in the context of emerging economies.

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Purpose – The purpose of this research is to improve the understanding of drivers and inhibitors of healthy diet behaviors in the context of an emerging economy, such as Mexico, with a severe problem of overweight and obesity. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) and protection motivation theory (PMT) provided the theoretical background for this study. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative approach was used, given the limited amount of information available on consumers’ motivations to change behavior. In-depth interviews with experts in nutrition and four focus groups with consumers from two segments were performed to collect information. Thematic analysis was used to analyze information. Findings – PMT provided a better explanation of current dietary behavior; the positive attitudes that, according to TPB, are the immediate antecedent of behavior offered a poor explanation for autoreported behaviors. Results indicate that perceived low self-efficacy and high costs prevent change of behavior. Meanwhile, low vulnerability and severity among younger consumers adds to the low intention to adopt a healthier diet. In general, sensorial attributes of products, such as texture, flavor, color, smell and appearance, prevail over nutritional attributes. Practical implications – The outline of a social marketing program is suggested after the research findings. This program emphasizes prevention and is intended to complement governmental policies designed to modify the environment to facilitate access to healthy food. Originality value – Social marketing principles have been developed and applied mainly in the context of developed countries. This work contributes to the extension of such principles to an emerging economy with a public health problem related to overweight. Results of the research provide the basis to mold an appropriate intervention.

El sobrepeso y la obesidad son un problema de salud pública para México, razón por la cual el gobierno ha implementado varias acciones para controlarlo. En el caso del grupo de edad entre doce y quince años, estas acciones son promovidas principalmente en las escuelas. El objetivo de este trabajo fue analizar el grado de implementación y efectividad de las acciones efectuadas, desde la perspectiva de los agentes escolares responsables, a fin de establecer modificaciones sustentadas en la Teoría Social Cognitiva para mejorar su efectividad. La investigación fue de tipo cualitativo y basada en el método de casos. A partir del análisis temático de dos casos de escuelas secundarias públicas, se identificaron dos elementos críticos de mejora apoyados teóricamente en la literatura y la información generada: la participación de los padres de familia y la implementación de un modelo educativo que promueva el aprendizaje significativo y el desarrollo de competencias de autorreflexión, autoeficacia y prevención.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose and empirically test a model where different motivational drivers are used to stimulate the intention of individuals to purchase green energy. Design/methodology/approach The goal-framing theory was used as the theoretical basis to design motivational statements that activate different self-goals driving the intention to adopt green energy. A field experiment was performed to investigate the influence of three different goal triggers on the intention of purchase green energy, specifically solar systems, among households living in a major city located in the central part of Mexico. The effect of demographics, environmental consciousness and perceived risk associated to the technology functionality was also considered in explaining the probability of purchase of a photovoltaic system in a short (one year) and medium (five years) terms. Findings The goal trigger grounded on normative motivations is the most influential on the probability of adoption of a photovoltaic system. However, the socioeconomic level of the household moderates the effect this type of goal trigger has on the intention of purchase a photovoltaic system. Individuals with a high socioeconomic level significantly increase their intention of purchase this green technology if motivated by a normative goal. On the contrary, individuals with a medium socioeconomic level are mostly motivated by goal triggers grounded on economic benefits. Research limitations/implications This study was circumscribed to a particular city of Mexico. Replication of the experiment in cities of other developing countries with contrasting sociotechnical contexts and the consideration of other green behaviours and explanatory variables is relevant to confirm and complement the results of this research. Practical implications The cost of photovoltaic systems represents a major barrier to the growth of the Mexican market of this renewable energy. Therefore, the promotion strategy for solar energy must be accompanied by the design of appropriate motivational drivers depending on the socioeconomic level of the segment and the time for the investment. Additionally, public and private strategies to decrease the cost of the technology and financing programs for individual and community projects are recommended. Social implications The willingness to use green energy and contribute to the protection of the environment should spring from within consumers. To upscale the solar energy market, it is relevant to understand the dominant goals of individuals when taking the decision to purchase green energy. Originality/value This study contributes to the extant research in green marketing by proposing and testing a new interpretative framework to examine how the benefits of green energy activate the self-goals of consumers, thus influencing their intentions of adoption of green energy. A theoretical model is proposed by constructing “goal-triggers” grounded on the goal-framing theory and empirically testing in the specific case of explaining the intention of purchasing photovoltaic systems in Mexico.

Pollution and the degradation of natural resources remain among the most pressing challenges facing our planet in the 21st century (OECD, 2020). As emphasized by White et al. (2019), the behaviors of individual consumers today have unprecedented consequences for the natural environment. It is thus not surprising that substantial efforts have been dedicated towards understanding how consumers can be motivated to purchase green rather than conventional products (Yan et al., 2020).Previous research suggests that packaging color plays a fundamental role in product judgments in general (Mead & Richerson, 2018) as well as in the purchase of environmentally friendly products (Seo & Scammon, 2017). For example, sustainable products are often designed using natural colors such as green

Purpose This study aims to contribute to the understanding of how elements of the socioecological system shape individual behaviors. The problem of childhood overweight and obesity is analyzed as existing within a complex system of relationships at different levels by means of system dynamics (SD). Design/methodology/approach Secondary sources and primary information collected from an elementary school were used to analyze the influences of several social environmental factors on the dietary habits and physical activity of children. The major elements that influence these behaviors were identified via a socioecological framework (SEF), and the interrelationships among these elements were described using an SD model. Then, several scenarios corresponding to social marketing actions oriented toward modifying the influence of specific elements in the socioecological system were proposed to evaluate how effective they are at reducing the percentages of overweight and obesity among children. Findings The current research shows the existence of counteracting efforts at the micro (family) and macro (governmental policies) levels that need to be aligned to reduce rates of obesity and overweight. Practical implications The systems perspective supports decision makers in defining social marketing strategies to modify alimentary behaviors based on the understanding of what elements of the SEF influence behavior and how they interrelate. To the authors’ knowledge, a detailed analysis of the influences of the socioecological environment has not been performed based on Latin American countries to seek solutions to the public health problems of overweight and obesity. Originality/value The application of SD enhances the value of the SEF suggested by Collins et al. (2010) for modeling individual behaviors. Moreover, the use of the systems approach for framing and understanding how the interrelationships of socioecological elements derive in synergic or antagonistic effects helps to predict the long-term effect of governmental actions and school interventions.

Private enterprises have responded to the increasing concern about environmental deterioration by implementing green actions with different grades of efficacy in terms of environmental and business performance. The aim of this work was to outline how firms that operate in a context with weak social and governmental pressures like Mexico are considering environmental issues into their strategies. By using a qualitative research approach, this study collected information of multiple cases comprising multinationals, Mexican firms with international operations and Mexican firms with local operations. Information was analyzed to get a deep understanding about how 4Ps of product, price, place (distribution) and promotion (communication) of the traditional marketing mix are addressed via green practices. The two dominant greening strategies identified, "resource savings and waste reduction" and "certification and acknowledgment of environmental responsibility", reflect a short-term perspective driven by immediate economic and legitimacy benefits. A well structured green marketing strategy was not identified even for large multinationals.