“Doing Good” versus “Being Good”: The interplay between pride appeals and regulatory‐focused messages in green advertising

Abstract

Many consumers feel proud of making green choices, which is of crucial relevance to explaining environmentally responsible behaviors. However, compared to other self‐conscious emotions, such as guilt and shame, little research attention has been paid to the role of pride in green consumerism. Through conducting two online experimental surveys, this research examined what features of a message induce the two facets of the emotion pride—authentic and hubristic—and how pride appeals interact with message frames having different regulatory foci. In Study 1, participants revealed more favorable eco‐friendly attitudes and intentions when hubristic pride appeals were combined with promotion‐focused messages (detailing the positive benefits of using the green product), and when authentic pride appeals were matched with prevention‐focused messages (emphasizing the negative consequences averted by using the green product). Study 2 replicated and supported the proposed matching hypotheses while including a control condition. Findings of this research will add to a growing body of literature on pride as a discrete emotion and its carryover effects on persuasion while providing guidelines to help practitioners design green advertising campaigns.

How best to advertise low-fit brand extensions: a construal level theory perspective

“…low-level construal). Similarly, advertising studies have successfully applied a construal level matching effect to show that a construal level match between consumers’ mindsets and advertising messages increases receptivity to advertising messages (Lee et al , 2010) and boosts a product’s appeal (Spassova and Lee, 2013), thereby leading to positive consumer attitudes and behaviours (Chou and Lien, 2012; Hong et al , 2021; Lee et al , 2023; White et al , 2011).…”

The double-edged sword of envy: effects of envy type and regulatory focus on consumer decision-making

“…Even if promotion-focused people experience the loss of social connections, they are capable of making greater attempts to establish social re-engagement (Molden et al, 2009). In the context of emotion, a promotion focus is more responsive to an advertising message emphasising hubristic pride, an emotion associated with negative social behaviours, such as hostility, aggression, prejudice against others and interpersonal problems (Hong et al, 2021). Malicious envy involves negative social consequences, such as belittling or social differentiation from the target person.…”

“…For example, following situations of social exclusion, the prevention system tends to focus on the actions that should not have been taken to avoid negative social consequences (Molden et al, 2009). In the specific context of emotion, a prevention focus would respond to an advertising message involving authentic pride, this being deemed a more pro-social emotion than hubristic pride (Hong et al, 2021). Benign envy should, therefore, appeal more to a prevention focus as it involves a strategy of levelling up by emulating the envied person and is deemed to be a relatively safer option in relation to social consequences.…”

“…Past research posits that envy is a strong motivation underlying decision-making (Belk, 2011;van de Ven et al, 2011). A person's regulatory focus has been linked to discrete emotions, such as hope, guilt, shame and pride (Duhachek et al, 2012;Hong et al, 2021;Poels and Dewitte, 2008). Past research shows that promotion and prevention foci can lead to emotions, such as happiness versus relaxation (Shah and Higgins, 2001).…”

Will truth hurt? Consumers’ skepticism, attributions, and behavior intentions toward green restaurant advertisements with different stated motives

“…The majority of the studies focused on consumer attitudes and intentions. For example, a more recent study by Hong et al (2021) found that more favorable attitudes and intention will be elicited when flattering with a hubristic pride ad (vs. an authentic ad) that is promotion-focused (vs. prevention-focused). Joshi and Kronrod (2020) revealed that brand names with silent consonants were perceived to be greener than names with voiced consonants, eliciting higher purchase intention.…”