Environmentally framed eWOM messages of different valence: The role of environmental concerns, moral norms, and product environmental impact

Abstract

Consumers are increasingly interested to know about the environmental impact (EI) of products and, at the same time, they form attitudes after reading online consumer reviews. Drawing on negativity bias, schema congruity theory, and norm‐activation model, we investigate the effects of environmentally framed electronic word‐of‐mouth messages of different valence, on perceived review usefulness, product attitude and purchase intention in products with low versus high EI. Two factorial experiments (positive vs. negative reviews; low vs. high EI) were conducted respectively with a sample of 321 Italian and 250 French consumers. The findings of the two studies show a partial support of the moderating role of product EI, suggesting that products perceived to have a high impact on the environment strengthen the impact of a positive or a negative review carrying environmental messages. The effect of a positive and a negative review is contingent upon the level of consumers' environmental concern. Negative reviews of high impact products are more impactful in contexts in which environmental concerns are high, while positive reviews are more significant when environmental concerns are low. The perceived usefulness of a negative review about high impact products influences consumers' attitude and purchase intention when moral norms are high.

Psychological Benefits of Purchasing Home Meal Replacement in the Context of Eco-Friendly TV Home Shopping Broadcast: The Moderating Role of Personal Norm

“…The moderating role of personal norm has also been found in the context of environmentally framed eWOM messages [22]. In this study, negative reviews of a high environmental impact product vs. negative reviews of a low environmental impact product were perceived to be more useful by consumers with high personal norms, and consumers with low personal norms did not show significant responses [22]. The negative reviews perceived by high personal norm consumers, in turn, negatively impacted attitude and purchase intention.…”

“…It was revealed that personal norms play a moderating role in compliance with proenvironmental social norms, and the activation of personal norms can fill the void of social norm receptiveness [21]. The moderating role of personal norm has also been found in the context of environmentally framed eWOM messages [22]. In this study, negative reviews of a high environmental impact product vs. negative reviews of a low environmental impact product were perceived to be more useful by consumers with high personal norms, and consumers with low personal norms did not show significant responses [22].…”

The influence of companies' moral associations on the product consumption experience: The role of moral disgust

“…Beyond the inherently moral (or immoral) aspects of marketing and consumption, associating products with moral philosophies or ideologies can affect consumer perceptions of specific products and brand evaluations (Carrington et al, 2015; Henry, 2010; Lafferty et al, 2004; Newman & Trump, 2017; Singh et al, 2012). When brands clash with consumer attitudes, consumers may evaluate them more adversely (Amar et al, 2018; Filieri et al, 2021; Gvili & Levy, 2021). Conversely, engaging in actions consumers morally support may improve attitudes toward the brand or elicit more brand fidelity (Lafferty et al, 2004; Newman & Trump, 2017).…”

“…Beyond their impact on product choice and evaluation, perceived moral violations by companies can lead to adverse downstream effects such as undesirable or negative word of mouth (Filieri et al, 2021; Grappi et al, 2013; Levy et al, 2021; Wetzer et al, 2007; Xie & Bagozzi, 2019). They may even prompt more extreme customer responses, including consumer activism such as protests (Grappi et al, 2013; Hawkins, 2010; Hershkovitz, 2017; Hilton, 2009; John & Klein, 2003; Kozinets & Handelman, 2004; Xie & Bagozzi, 2019), and boycotting (Kozinets & Handelman, 2004).…”

Do travelers' reviews depend on the destination? An analysis in coastal and urban peer‐to‐peer lodgings

“…Although the valence (and influence) of UGC in and on review helpfulness, consumer attitude, and behavior show diverging results (cf. Filieri et al, 2021), Sparks and Browning (2011) note that the willingness to book online is higher when (hotel) reviews are predominantly positive (Del Chiappa et al, 2015;Tsao et al, 2015).…”