Consumer perceptions of carbon labeling in print advertising: Hype or effective communication strategy?

Abstract

Eco-labels are being used more frequently in the marketplace. Recently, carbon-neutral labels have emerged on product packaging and advertisements as a popular form of eco-label. How consumers view these specific labels is of both conceptual and practical interest. Therefore, in a mixed-experimental design building on congruity theory and Deighton's two-step model of advertising effectiveness, the authors examine how consumers view the credibility and environmental concern of companies who use these labels, as well as their resulting purchase intentions. A 2(product) £ 2(label) £ 3 (information) mixed design was used to examine consumer perceptions and behavior intentions. Product category (environmentally neutral vs. environmentally harmful) was a within-subjects factor; the presence/absence of the carbon-neutral label and information (positive/negative/control) was both manipulated between-subjects factors. Results show that the presence of a carbon-neutral label in an advertisement, regardless of the type of product, leads to more favorable perceptions of company environmental concern. However, there is a more pronounced increase in consumer perceptions of company environmental concern for an environmentally harmful product than for an environmentally neutral product.

Overcoming perceived sacrifice as a barrier to the adoption of green non‐purchase behaviours

“…As this study answers the calls to explore the effectiveness of various communication strategies (including personal gain) at mitigating the perceived sacrifice (Zabkar & Hosta, 2013) and aims to evaluate the effects of different priming interventions on the change in participants’ GNPB frequency after exposure to these communication strategies, the experimental design of the study was deemed the most suitable for this research setting. Experimental design has been successfully used in previous research investigating the effects of stimuli on behavioural changes (e.g., Stokes & Turri, 2015; Tseng, 2016; Vermeir & Verbeke, 2006).…”

“…However, with increasing popularity of green products, purchasing green has now become easier than ever and these barriers are slowly becoming obsolete. While previous research focused on green purchases (e.g., Chwialkowska, 2018; Dolcinar, Cvelbar, & Grun, 2019; Griskevicius et al, 2010; Lin & Chang, 2012; Stokes & Turri, 2015; White, MacDonnell, & Ellard, 2012; Wood, Robinson, & Poor, 2018; Xie & Kronrod, 2012), green non‐purchase behaviours (GNPBs) have been largely ignored (Lee, Cherrier, Roux, & Cova, 2011; Peattie & Crane, 2005). GNPBs can involve any behaviour that is beneficial to the environment but does not involve purchasing a new product.…”

“…Second, the negative perception of GNPBs prompts the question if they could be effectively encouraged in an attempt to mitigate the perceived sacrifice. Promising findings in the area of green purchases show that green purchases can be enticed with various communication strategies/appeals and primes (e.g., Chwialkowska, 2018; Dolnicar et al, 2019; Griskevicius et al., 2010; Stokes and Turri, 2015; Tucker, Rifon, Lee, & Reece, 2012; Wood et al., 2018; Xie and Kronrod, 2012; Yoon, Kim, & Baek, 2016), suggesting that that green behaviours should be actively promoted (Biswas & Roy, 2015).…”

“…Third, previous studies (mainly in the area of green purchases) that examined the effectiveness of marketing communication focused on immediate responses to communication strategies (e.g., Chwialkowska, 2018; Dolcinar et al, 2019; Stokes and Turri, 2015; Tucker et al., 2012; Wood et al., 2018; Xie and Kronrod, 2012; Yoon et al., 2016). These studies focused on measuring immediate changes in green attitudes, or attitudes towards the brand or particular ad, preferences or intentions (e.g., Biswas & Roy, 2015; Pagiaslis & Krontalis, 2014; Tseng, 2016).…”

Business strategies for achieving carbon neutrality goals in collaborative ecosystems: Bridging gaps in achieving operational status

“…Previous CN research has also highlighted the role of society in achieving CN, including the behaviors of residents, households, and firms in addressing climate change (Bolwig et al, 2020). Scholars have noted that initiatives such as energy labeling and relevant education can foster household understanding and mitigate energy consumption behaviors (Stokes & Turri, 2015), leading to emission reduction (Falk & Hagsten, 2020; Wang et al, 2023). Consumer willingness to pay for CN, such as airline passengers contributing to climate change mitigation, is also a significant factor for carbon offset projects (Will et al, 2022).…”