GREEN consumption values and Indian consumers’ response to marketing communications

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to report on a study that assessed Indian consumers’ response to green marketing communications, based on their GREEN consumption values. GREEN (Haws et al., 2014) refers to consumers’ tendency to express their environmental concern through their consumption behaviors. This study applies this construct in a marketing communications context. Design/methodology/approach Two conceptual models involving GREEN were developed, and data to test the models were collected in a survey conducted among a convenience sample of 284 Indian consumers. Findings The results show that GREEN can enhance understanding of consumers’ green attitudes and intentions. GREEN consumption values have an impact on how Indian consumers respond to advertising and public relations stimuli, as GREEN influences perceptions of green brand trust, attitudes toward green marketing communications and green brand support and purchase intentions. Research limitations/implications The research adds to the growing literature on green marketing in emerging economies and extends the application of the GREEN construct from the domain of consumer behavior to that of green marketing communications. Practical implications The results suggest that marketers should focus on developing green marketing communications strategy, rather than just green advertising strategies, and they can position their green products to appeal to consumers based on GREEN consumption values. Originality/value The study is the first to apply the GREEN construct in assessing consumer response to a brand’s green marketing communications; it also explores this issue in an emerging economy.

Answering key questions on green consumption: A qualitative study among Indian youth

“…Prior research on green marketing has seen the exploration of different issues. For instance, there have been investigations related to positive and negative messages in promoting green products (Amatulli, De Angelis, Peluso, Soscia, & Guido, 2017;Bailey, Mishra, & Tiamiyu, 2016); the impact of pride and guilt on perceived consumer effectiveness (Antonetti & Maklan, 2014); the influence of consumption values on sustainable consumer behavior (Biswas & Roy, 2015); evolution of green marketing and steps for green marketing strategies (Dangelico & Vocalelli, 2017); status motives influencing green product choices (Griskevicius, Tybur, & Van den Bergh, 2010); the influence of environmental concern, environmental knowledge, and consumer effectiveness on green purchase intention (Jaiswal & Singh, 2018); theories in predicting consumers' green product purchase (Liu, Segev, & Villar, 2017); the subjective experiences of young environmentalists who engage in green consumption practices ; the impact of consumer environmental concern, knowledge, and beliefs about biofuels on behavioral intention (Pagiaslis & Krontalis, 2014); and green branding (Ottman, 2017).…”

Ecological Responsibility of Students: Motivators and Demotivators of Their Environmental Behaviors

“…Numerous scientific studies indicate a growing interest in environmentally responsible consumption and green consumer [2,7,8,9]. Environmental responsibility of the consumer is associated with avoidance of products having a negative impact on the environment and health.…”

“…They implement sustainable practices and strategic planning through environmental management and social action [6]. This situation brought about changes in the behavior of consumers who are increasingly sens itive to social issues, they are interested in ethical, moral and environmental aspects associated with the activities of commercial organizations [7][8][9].…”

Determinants of Green Brand Trust and the Mediating Role of Green Brand Satisfaction

“…Firms increasingly receive benefits from green products in the marketplace (Lin and Chang, 2012). Along with the surge of green products in the market, there has been a parallel focus on green marketing, as consumers have been responding to brands that promote environmental responsibility (Olsen et al, 2014;Bailey et al, 2016). Yet, some research show that consumers are still reluctant to buy green products primarily because of the perceived inferiority of these products (Olson, 2013); the premium prices of green products over traditional products (Moser, 2015); the past exaggeration of firms concerning their environmental performance (Kalafatis et al, 1999;Olson, 2013) or due to uncertainty arising from having to adopt products which might not be in congruence with their current knowledge structure (Majid and Russell, 2015).…”