The Impact of Green Advertising on Consumer

Purchase Intention of Green Products

Bing Zhu*

Chinese advertising industry has dramatically developed as

consumers conc erns over the impact of environmental degradation
on their lives and interests increase, which results in a significant
sale of green products. This study aims to explore how green
advertising affect consumers purchase intention of green products.
The data were collected from 313 consumers in Shanghai, China.
The research findings reveal that credibility of claim (=0.847,
p<0.001) and consumer attitude toward green advertising (=0.65
p<0.05) significantly influence consumer purchase intention of
green products.

Key words- Attitude towards green advertising, Credibility of Claim, Purchase

Intention

1. Introduction
The most effective tool that the marketers and advertisers often use to get
consumers attention is advertising, which helps consumers to elaborate their
knowledge about product attributes and specification (Buda and Zhang, 2000).
Zinkhan & Carlson (1995) defined green advertising as the appeals that try to
fulfill consumers needs and aspiration regarding to environmental concern and
health issues from different perspectives including ecology, sustainability, and
pollution-free messages. Many scholars have engaged to study how green
message have affected the audiences, and the organizations that expect to
win market competition tend to invest more in advertising campaigns by
injecting environmental claim (Conolly and Prothero, 2003; Banerjee et al.,
1995; Carlson, et al, 1993).

There are various dimensions in green advertising: One is education-focused

which aims to enhance consumers understanding towards the nature and
environment; another is commercial-focused which is designed to increase the
sales of products or services; some concern about the improvement and
enhancement of firms green image in order to generate long-term customer
*Bing Zhu, Department of Marketing, Assumption University
Thailand. Email: bingzhu.mkt@gmail.com

Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2182906

loyalty (Banerjee et al., 1995; Menon, et al., 1999). Even though green
advertising have been widely recognized and accepted, the credibility, validity,
and benefits of green advertising are somewhat controversial (Pfanner, 2008)
due to the use of false green claim, exaggerate and lurid language and
ambiguous information ( Easterling et al., 1996; Polonsky et al., 1997).
Currently green advertising industry in China is commercial-focused in which
firms green image has been heavily promoting to cultivate customer loyalty as
Chinese consumers are losing confidence about food safety and quality of
production methods.

Since China has opened up to the west in 1978, domestic market had been
flooded with various products through different channels. Chinese consumers
used to believe what had been advertised through mass media due to the
insufficient and ambiguous information about products or services. However,
when they take a look at what have happened to their daily lives in recent
years, they have found that they are surrounded by a series of food scandals
and environmental destruction, which make them highly in health risk and their
circumstances in danger. Doubtless, concerns with food security, product
quality and environment become mainstream issues at this moment in China,
which are the factors that can affect consumers acceptance of green
consumption (DSouza et al., 2007) as going-green becomes a theme of
industrial development(Chan, 2004)

Chinese advertising industry has dramatically gained double-digit growth

(Song &Wong, 1998), which obviously reflects a demand of transparent
information of production methods and a popular anxiety of heath and security.
Excessive food scandals breed insecurity, so buying and using green products
are the ways of eliminating this negative feeling. Therefore, advertising
industry has taken on the promotion of green products. That is why affluent
and educational Chinese consumers are willing to pay 4.5 percent or more for
green products as compared to conventional products (Chan, 1999).

However, there is still a drawback in Chinese advertising industry which is the

exaggeration of green theme in quality, safety, product attributes. A trust crisis
leads a challenge to the marketers, advertisers, manufacturers since
consumers lose their confidences in advertising. The trust crisis in Chinese
market has pushed the manufacturers, advertisers, marketers to find all the
ways restore consumer confidence. In the advertisement, information of
production methods and process is demonstrated in detail, and the concept of
consumer merits has been injected into the advertisement in order to make
consumers aware of the impact of their consumptions on environmental
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improvement and to target green consumers who proactively response to the

product positioned as eco-friendly or green(Davis, 1993).

2. Literature Review
Attitude towards green advertising: Consumers feelings and judgments are
formed when they are exposed to an advertisement which will influence
consumers attitudes towards the ad itself and their beliefs regarding the brand
or the product (Batra and Ray, 1986). It is necessary to investigate the
differences between consumers affective response which is consumers
feelings from ad exposure) and cognitive response which is consumers
judgments towards the ad (Button and Lictenstein, 1988). Based on the
previous researches, consumers affective responses are influenced by other
ads, consumers emotions and the current circumstance (Gardener, 1985;
Aaker et al., 1986). Therefore, how the consumers feel about the ad that they
are exposed will affect their assessments of the brand (Edell and Burke, 1987).
The study of consumers attitudes towards green advertising has been very
comprehensive. Consumers who are environmental concerned normally have
generated positive attitudes towards green advertising and environmental
issues (Carlson et al., 1993).

Consumer Response: A series of researches were conducted to study

consumers responses to advertising claims and products. To understand how
consumer respond to message in green advertisement is critical to green
marketing, because people at present somewhat have questions about the
credibility of products presented through green advertising (Kangun el al. 1991;
Mayer et al. 1993; Kim and Damhorst, 1999) even if products from companies
that have been perceived as green and have good reputation of
environmental preservation are still more acceptable than conventional
products by consumers (Stisser, 1994; Ottman Consulting, 1991). In this study,
the researcher intends to investigate how consumers respond to green
advertising itself and how consumers respond to the organizations that have
been perceived green and their products respectively.

Credibility of Claim: Lutz (1985) identified ads credibility as the degree to

measure the perception of audience regarding the trustworthiness of the
advertised brand in the advertisement. The credibility of ad claim is able to
strongly affect audiences responses toward ad itself and the advertised brand.
Eco-label is perceived as an important factor for consumers to make a buying
decision (Thorgersen, 2002). Therefore, consumers e valuations and attitudes
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Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2182906

toward the advertisement claim are affected by eco-label and information

regarding to products environmental attributes (Ian and Denise, 2007). For
those brands with green images, they more likely affact audiences emotion
and enhance customer loyalty (Ginsberg and Bloom, 2004). In addition, these
green brands can generate a positive public image and optimistic sales
(Marshall and Mayer, 1992). The advertisements that deliver environmental
message are perceived credible (Mathur and Mathur, 2000); however, the
credibility of green claim has been weakened by the excessive use of the
terms of environmental-friendly, natural, sustainable or recycled (Karna
et al., 2001; Annonziato, 2001).

3. The Methodology and Model

Conceptual Framework
Based on previous studies of Matulich, Haytko and Austin (2000), Ian and
Denise (2007), Chan (2004), Leonidou, Leonidou, Palihawadana and Hultman
(2011), the researcher developed a conceptual framework for this study to
examine Chinese consumers attitudes toward green advertising and their
perceptions toward credibility of green claim. In addition, the researcher also
intended to find out how consumers attitudes toward green advertising and
their perception toward credibility of green claim influence their purchase
intentions of products.
Figure 1. Modified conceptual framework

CRA
(Consumers Response to
Green Adverting

CRC
(Consumers Response to the Companies
and their Products)
H2

H1

Credibility of Green Claim

H4
H3

Attitude towards Green

Advertising

Purchase Intention

H1o: There is no relationship between consumers responses to green

advertising and consumers attitude toward green advertising
H2o: There is no relationship between consumers responses to companies
and their products and consumers attitude toward green advertising
H3o: There is no relationship between consumers attitude toward green
advertising and consumers purchase intention of green products
4

H4o: There is no relationship between credibility of green claim and

consumers purchase intention of green products

4. Research Findings
Descriptive Analysis
Table1: Summary of Demographics represented by Highest Percentages
Cons umer Profile
Gender
Age level
Marriage status
Income
Education level
Employment category

Variables
Female
31-40 years old
Single
RMB3,001-4,000
Bachelor degree
private sector employed

Percentage (%)
62.8
39.8
47.8
43.5
65.3
32.5

All the highest percentages of demographic factors were summarized in Table

1.The majority of all respondents were female which account for 62.8 percent
of the respondents, and most of the respondents were in the age group of 31
to 40 years old that account for 39.8 percent. 47.8 percent of respondents
were single. In addition, 43.5 percent of the respondents have their monthly
income between 3,001 RMB and 4,000 RMB. For education level, the highest
percentage was bachelor degree with 65.3 percent. Moreover, 32.5 percent of
the respondents are employed in private sector.
Multiple Regression Analysis
Table 2. Result of regression analysis for predicting attitude toward green
advertising
Variable

Unstandardized Coefficient

Standardized Coefficient ()

t-value

P-value

8.816

.000

(B)
(Constant)

1.884

CRA***

.306

.302

5.089

.000

CRC***

.271

.281

4.727

.000

Note: *** p<0.001; F=56.561; R2=.267; Adjusted R2=.263

As indicated in Table 2, the column of estimates provides the values to form a

regression model to predict consumers attitude toward green advertising in
this study: Y=1.884+0.306xcra + 0.271xcrc. In addition, Beta () shows relative
5

influence of predictor variables, in which consumer response to green

advertising (CRA) significantly influence consumers attitude toward green
advertising followed by and consumer response to companies and their
products (CRC).
Table 3. Result of regression analysis for predicting attitude toward purchase
intention of green products
Variable

Unstandardized Coefficient

Standardized Coefficient

(B)

()

t-value

P-value

3.603

.000

(Constant)

.452

CC***

.810

.847

28.240

.000

ATT*

.058

.065

2.168

.031

Note: *** p<0.001;* p<0.05; F=505.033; R2=.765; Adjusted R2=.764

As indicated in Table 4, the column of estimates provides the values to form a

regression model for this study: Y=0.452+0.810xcc + 0.058xatt. Beta () shows
relative influence of predictor variables. Two Xs (CC and ATT) have positive
influence on Y, and CC has the greatest influence on Y (purchase intention).
That is to say, credibility of claim significantly influences consumers purchase
intention of green food.
Figure 2. Results of Hypothesis testing
CRA (Consumers Response to Green
Adverting)

CRC (Response to the Companies and their

Products)

Credibility of claim

.281***

.302***

.847***
Attitude
toward
Green Ad vertising

.065*
Purchase Intention

Note: ***p<0.001; *p<0.05;

5. Summary and Conclusions

Based on the research findings, the researcher can firstly conclude that a
systematic and well-planned scheme is needed to launch a green advertising
campaign. Green marketing strategy should be applied so that the firms will be
able to establish a strong corporate image of being green and achieve
optimistic sales of green products.
6

Second, research findings reveal that the credibility of claim in green

advertising plays the most important role in influencing consumer purchase
intention of green products in Shanghai. As there is a lot of concern over
credibility of claim, detailed information and actual benefits from consuming
green products should be provided. The firms should not use exaggerated
linguistics for the advertising; in contrast, the claims should be specific, trustful
and sincere. By doing so, the companies will be able to lay consumers doubts,
enhance companies reputation and gain credibility with the public to a certain
extent.

Third, consumer attitude toward green advertising also positively influence

consumer purchase intention of green products. According to Ajzen (1991),
the more positive attitude consumers have toward a behavior, the stronger
intention the consumers will have to perform the behavior under his or her
control. In this study, Chinese consumers intentions to purchase green
product are strong as their attitudes toward green advertising are positive.
While the consumers optimistically respond to green advertising, the
companies and their products, the firms should stress their environmental
actions, which will allow consumers to differentiate between green firms and
non-green firms as green products are in demand. In addition, the application
of green methods in production and green product attributes should be
emphasized to convince and attract consumers. Whats more, a green
advertising campaign should be associated with a clear, transparent,
understandable and concise environmental claim, through which the firms will
be able to grab the consumers attention.

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