Green-Demarketing Advertising: How Consumers Respond to Less is More Messages
(A2021-93756)

AUTHORS

Catalina Wache, Freie Universität Berlin; Jana Möller, Freie Universität Berlin; Alexander Mafael, Stockholm School of Economics; Viktoria Daumke, Freie Universität Berlin; Brenda Fetahi, Freie Universität Berlin; Nora Melcher, Freie Universität Berlin

ABSTRACT

In response to the negative impact of consumption on sustainability, some brands have begun to practice green demarketing (GDM) – an extension of demarketing that discourages demand for products for the sake of the environment. This study examines the impact of GDM messages on attitudes toward the ad and the processing of GMD messages. We propose two opposing mechanisms that affect consumers’ attitudes towards a GDM ad message. While GDM ad messages might profit from their sustainability focus, attitudes toward GDM ad messages are also likely to be compromised by low processing fluency and increased skepticism. Results show that attitudes toward sustainable ad messages are significantly higher than attitudes toward the non-sustainable ad message. Additionally, the results reveal a positive significant direct effect of GDM ad message on attitudes toward the ad and a negative significant indirect effect mediated serially by processing fluency and skepticism on attitudes toward the ad.