Can Guilt and Shame-induced Marketing Encourage Environmentally Conscious Consumption? A quantitative study on consumer response to negative emotional appeals in green advertising

Abstract

Objectives The main objectives of this study are to explore whether negative self-conscious emotions, like shame and guilt, would be an effective marketing method for a cause-related marketing campaign promoting sustainable products. Research on emotional appeals in advertising holds a clear consensus on consumer response to guilt and shame-appeals but lacks literature on the use of those appeals in green marketing. This research aims to fill that gap in research.

Summary First, literature on guilt, shame, green gap, and different consumption ways was explored. Then a quantitative study was conducted exploring green advertising from the viewpoint of four different dimensions product consumption: public-hedonic, public-utilitarian, private-hedonic and private-utilitarian. The questionnaire was conducted online and a sample of N=133 was gathered.

Conclusions The study revealed that low-intensity guilt and shame-appeals in green advertisements do not encourage consumers to make significantly more green purchasing decisions. However, further research is needed to determine whether an advertisement with slightly higher intensity level in the emotional appeals would work as a driver of sustainable consumption.