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1 – 10 of 774Bridget Satinover Nichols, Jon Frederick Kirchoff, Ilenia Confente and Hannah Stolze
The triple bottom line of sustainability performance is well known; however, little research links it to consumer brand perceptions and intentions. This is important because…
Abstract
Purpose
The triple bottom line of sustainability performance is well known; however, little research links it to consumer brand perceptions and intentions. This is important because consumers believe that brands should develop sustainability strategies and conduct business in ways that support those strategies. Using the theoretical lenses of signaling theory and spillover effects, this study aims to examine the impact of negative messages about brands’ triple bottom line sustainability activities on consumer perceived brand ethicality, perceived product quality and purchase interest.
Design/methodology/approach
This research includes two lab experiments with the US participants.
Findings
When brands have sustainability failures, consumers feel the firm is less ethical, its products are lower in quality and purchase interest suffers – regardless how the failure relates to the triple bottom line (environmental, social or economic). These effects are moderated by brand familiarity and the message source. Brand familiarity seems to protect a firm’s ethicality image as does when the information comes from a corporate source, contrary to the prevalent literature.
Originality/value
Unlike most sustainability research, this study provides comparison effects across all three dimensions of the triple bottom line. In doing so, this study highlights nuances in how consumers connect brands’ sustainability-related activities with perceptions about ethics and brand expectations. This research also contextualizes the findings through brand familiarity and message source and contributes to the growing body of literature on sustainability branding.
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Online advertising becomes an essential tool to reach the target audience. One of the most widely used strategies is re-targeting. Firstly, this study explores the impact of…
Abstract
Purpose
Online advertising becomes an essential tool to reach the target audience. One of the most widely used strategies is re-targeting. Firstly, this study explores the impact of ethics, privacy and ads' perceived benefits (ad effectiveness and ad relevance) on consumers' attitudes toward online advertising. Secondly, the study investigates the mediating effect of attitudes toward re-targeting online advertising on consumers' purchase intentions. Finally, the study investigates the moderating effect of the perceived ethicality of re-targeting online advertising on consumers' purchase intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
Participants (n = 307) were recruited through an online survey platform (MTurk) in the USA. The sample consisted of 65% male and 35% female respondents. The majority are aged 25–34 years, followed by 35–44 years (20%), 45–54 years (14%), 18–24 years (8%) and 55 years and older (6%).
Findings
The results show that ad effectiveness and ad relevance influenced consumers' attitudes toward re-targeting. This study shows that consumers are willing to trade their privacy for better search quality. Moreover, perceptions toward the ethicality of re-targeting ads moderated the relationship between consumers' attitudes and purchase intentions.
Research limitations/implications
This study will make several contributions. First, the study will extend the consequential theory in the context of online advertising. Second, the study will assist companies in using re-targeting strategies. The results will reveal which factor is the most important factor impacting consumers' attitudes toward re-targeting strategies.
Originality/value
This is one of the first few papers investigating consumers' perceptions of the ethicality of re-targeting online advertising.
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Giovanni Manansala, Chris Niyi Arasanmi and Adedapo Oluwaseyi Ojo
This study aims to examine ethical practices in the banking sector by testing the relationships between customer perceptions of ethicality and brand attributes like affect, image…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine ethical practices in the banking sector by testing the relationships between customer perceptions of ethicality and brand attributes like affect, image and equity.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on the social exchange theory, the authors advance the consumer’s perspective in explaining brand equity in the banking sector. Following the survey technique, the authors used the Hayes’ Macro Process in analysing the data collected from 148 bank customers in New Zealand.
Findings
The findings suggest that customers’ perception of ethicality, brand image and affect are significantly associated with brand equity. Also, brand image and affect significantly mediate the relationship between customer’s perception of ethicality and brand equity.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitation of this study is the use of survey and cross-sectional methods. Future research may adopt mixed-method techniques to provide insightful information on how these variables influence brand equity.
Originality/value
The study demonstrates the mechanisms that facilitate brand equity and contributes to theory by analysing the factors of brand equity in the banking sector, which has been less investigated.
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Valéry Bezençon and Reza Etemad-Sajadi
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the effect of distributing sustainable labels on the retailer’s corporate brand. More specifically, the objectives are to investigate how…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the effect of distributing sustainable labels on the retailer’s corporate brand. More specifically, the objectives are to investigate how the scope of a portfolio of sustainable labels affects the consumer perceived ethicality (CPE) of the retailer that distributes them and to understand how the perceived ethicality affects retail patronage.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 230 individuals participated in a street intercept survey. Data were analysed with partial least squares structural equation modelling.
Findings
Both the perceived scope of the portfolios of collective sustainable labels and retailer-owned sustainable labels improve the CPE of the retailer. In addition, the CPE of the retailer increases patronage. The portfolio of collective sustainable labels has more impact on the CPE of the retailer than the portfolio of retailer-owned labels, but the latter has more impact on retail patronage.
Research limitations/implications
In addition to limitations inherent to the methodology (e.g. survey based on stated behaviours), the model developed is simple and exploratory and does not include potential boundary conditions of the highlighted effects.
Practical implications
Sustainable labels may not only contribute to product sales and product positioning, but also to position the retailer brand by improving the consumer perception of ethicality and indirectly increase retail patronage.
Originality/value
Anchored in the branding literature, this research is the first to conceptualize sustainable labels as a portfolio and measure their collective impact on the retailer’s corporate brand and indirectly on patronage.
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George Kofi Amoako, Joshua Kofi Doe and Robert Kwame Dzogbenuku
This study aims to establish the link between business ethics and brand loyalty and to investigate the mediating role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and United Nations…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to establish the link between business ethics and brand loyalty and to investigate the mediating role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as green marketing.
Design/methodology/approach
Using the purposive sampling technique, data were obtained from 622 middle-income city dwellers who shop at leading retail malls. Data were analyzed with partial least square–structural equation model.
Findings
The study found a positive and significant relationship between business ethics, CSR, green marketing and business loyalty. Both CSR and green marketing mediate between perceived firm ethicality and brand loyalty.
Research limitations/implications
This research was done based on general knowledge of business ethics, CSR and green marketing from the consumers’ perspective. Future studies can avoid this limitation.
Practical implications
By ensuring ethical codes, CSR and green marketing, firms can contribute to promoting the SDGs, and at the same time, achieving customer loyalty. Brand loyalty is further enhanced if customers see a firm to be practicing CSR.
Social implications
The SDGs of sustainable production patterns, climate change and its impacts, and sustainably using water resources must become the focus of companies as they ultimately yield loyalty. Policymakers and society can design a policy to facilitate adoption of better ethical behavior and green marketing by firms as a way of promoting SDGs.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to test the mediation effect of green marketing and CSR on how ethical behavior leads to brand loyalty. It is also one of the few papers to examine how SDGs can be promoted by businesses as stakeholders.
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Wang-Sheng Chen and Kuen-Hung Tsai
This study empirically tests a brand ownership framework based on psychological ownership theory. It examines the role of participative brand development in developing brand…
Abstract
Purpose
This study empirically tests a brand ownership framework based on psychological ownership theory. It examines the role of participative brand development in developing brand ownership among different social value orientation (i.e. proself and prosocial). Furthermore, it examines brand ownership's effects on various food brand supportive behaviours and the moderating role of consumer perceived ethicality.
Design/methodology/approach
To understand the participative brand development effect on brand ownership and brand supportive behaviours of organic food and local cultural food from the consumer perspective, primary data collected via 668 valid questionnaires tested the conceptual model using partial least squares structural equation modelling.
Findings
Participative brand development has a significant influence on brand ownership. Moreover, brand ownership is an important factor in affecting brand supportive behaviours. The negative relationship between brand ownership and positive word of mouth for those who have higher consumer perceived ethicality is significant. Moreover, social value orientation, the relationships between participative brand development and brand ownership differ significantly.
Research limitations/implications
First, it only focusses on the antecedents of brand ownership among different proself and prosocial groups in Taiwan. However, Taipei, as an important city in Taiwan, is a microcosm of Taiwan's food development. It can reflect the problems existing in Taiwan's current food development process from one side. Second, customer perceived ethicality was moderated into the psychological ownership model to extend it. Future studies may consider sustainable consumer behaviour (White et al., 2019) and other variables to explain the antecedents and consequences of brand ownership on the moderating role. Third, more multi-group analyses may explore the antecedents of brand ownership of more and different groups.
Practical implications
First, the participative brand development of proself groups (such as organic food marketers) towards brand ownership should emphasize the health and safety associated benefits of organic foods. If consumers perceive more health and safety benefits from adopting organic foods regarding their well-being needs, they will be more willing to increase their use of organic foods. Second, local cultural food marketers play a significant role in promoting processed foods, creative gourmet, rural leisure and festival events. In the current stage of local cultural food development, the more immediate consequences of pro-environmental behaviours for a given city, region or neighbourhood can make environmental actions and outcomes seem more tangible and relevant (Scannell and Gifford, 2013). Organic and local cultural food marketers should also pay attention to the change in the psychology of different group members and adjust marketing strategies appropriately.
Social implications
Consumers who are convinced that organic foods strongly adhere to the environmental and ethical principles they value may intensify their organic buying behaviour. Drawing on people's attachments to a specific place (Gifford, 2014), festival events can lead to engagement in local cultural products consumption. People may be subject to the opinions of important people, such as family members, relatives and friends. Therefore, communities could advocate for local cultural food via word of mouth and consume local cultural food daily to create a good pro-environmental atmosphere.
Originality/value
This is the first study to investigate the antecedents and consequences of brand ownership and the moderators of these relationships in the context of organic food and local cultural food.
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Vikas Kumar and Vikrant Kaushal
Ethical consumerism is gaining importance as consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about brands' moral intentions and social and legal practices. Hence, in a quest to…
Abstract
Purpose
Ethical consumerism is gaining importance as consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about brands' moral intentions and social and legal practices. Hence, in a quest to advance the current application of ethics in branding, this study substantiates literature by investigating consumer-perceived brand ethicality's (CPBE) role in affecting psychological, affective and behavioral responses of consumers (i.e. psychological brand ownership (PBO), brand commitment and willingness to pay a price premium (WPPP). Further, the authors test self-congruence as the boundary condition for CPBE.
Design/methodology/approach
Online survey method resulted in 408 responses, and the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM).
Findings
CPBE emerged as a predictor for PBO, brand commitment and WPPP. However, counterintuitively, self-congruence failed to reflect any moderating effect on the relationships between CPBE and PBO and CPBE and brand commitment.
Practical implications
Brands are encouraged to indulge in and reflect ethical practices to generate favorable consumer responses, i.e. PBO, brand commitment and WPPP.
Originality/value
Based on the ethical and psychological ownership theories, the investigation adds to the scholarship on CPBE and its outcomes. Arguably, it remains the first study to document the linkage between CPBE and PBO.
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Muhammad Kashif Javed, Ma Degong and Talat Qadeer
Most business-related studies on ethics focus on consumers in developed western economies but ignore developing economies. Therefore, to fill this void in the literature and…
Abstract
Purpose
Most business-related studies on ethics focus on consumers in developed western economies but ignore developing economies. Therefore, to fill this void in the literature and address the concerns of prior studies, the purpose of this paper is to examine the ethical perceptions of Chinese consumers as an example of effective and efficient management of company/brand strategies in an economy experiencing rapid socioeconomic growth.
Design/methodology/approach
This study examines 328 Chinese consumers’ purchase intentions based on their ethical perceptions toward Apple and P&G through mediating (i.e. consumer–corporate identification (CCI) and brand trust) and moderating (i.e. consumer gender, age, education and residence) effects. Structural equation modeling is used to analyze the constructs and overall model.
Findings
The ethical perceptions of consumers translate into purchase intentions, both at the corporate and product brand levels. Similarly, a significant direct relationship between CCI and brand trust reveals that corporate-level ethical identification is a trivial matter to customers, although these perceptions do apply to product brands under a corporate umbrella. Furthermore, to identify target groups of Chinese consumers who are receptive to ethical appeals, moderating variables were found to be useful.
Originality/value
The results confirm that the mediating role of CCI is more influential in the context of Chinese consumers’ ethical perceptions, followed by brand trust. In relation to demographics, ethical perceptions affect CCI and brand trust more positively in females and highly educated consumers in China. Similarly, the relationship between consumers’ ethical perception and their trust in brand is revealed more influential in urban residents than they do in rural. This broadens the applications and contexts of this research model. The results provide managerial guidance on enhancing potential ethical perceptions.
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Jean-François Toti and Andrea Milena Sánchez Romero
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of subjective ambivalence on ethical consumption behaviors and the role of ethical claims in reducing feelings of ambivalence…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of subjective ambivalence on ethical consumption behaviors and the role of ethical claims in reducing feelings of ambivalence toward buying ethical products.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted two studies. In study 1, the authors carried out an online survey with a sample of 230 French consumers. The authors applied structural equation modeling with Amos to test the relationships among skepticism, ambivalence and ethical consumption behaviors. Study 2 is an experimental design in which the authors manipulated ethical claims (low – few ethical arguments vs. high – many ethical arguments) in advertising (176 French panelists). The authors tested the relationships among consumer ethical sensitivity, perceived brand ethicality, skepticism, ambivalence and intention to purchase an ethical product, depending on ethical claims in advertising.
Findings
Study 1 shows that skepticism toward advertising of ethical products amplifies feelings of ambivalence and that ambivalence reduces consumers’ willingness to adopt ethical consumption behaviors. Study 2 shows that strong claims in advertising of ethical products reduce skepticism toward advertising of ethical products and feelings of ambivalence toward buying an ethical product through perceived brand ethicality, with consumers’ ethical sensitivity positively moderating these relationships.
Research limitations/implications
The two studies explore only one form of ambivalence (i.e. subjective), and the experimental study focuses on a single category of products.
Practical implications
The findings highlight the difficulties in promoting ethical products. Consumers need to know if a product is “really” ethical, as they may feel ambivalent toward that product. This paper shows that strong ethical claims in advertising ethical products significantly help to overcome this barrier.
Originality/value
Based on attribution theory and persuasion models, this research reveals how ethical claims in advertising affect feelings of ambivalence, which negatively influence consumers’ willingness to adopt ethical consumption. In addition, it follows a holistic approach to ethical consumption behaviors to explore consumers’ ambivalence.
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Sam Fullerton, Roger Brooksbank and Larry Neale
Technology-based initiatives are now being routinely incorporated within most companies’ marketing strategies. The purpose of this paper is to explore consumer perspectives on the…
Abstract
Purpose
Technology-based initiatives are now being routinely incorporated within most companies’ marketing strategies. The purpose of this paper is to explore consumer perspectives on the ethics of these initiatives. It also seeks to identify underlying dimensions within the technology-based strategic environment with the intent of generating advances for both academicians and practitioners alike.
Design/methodology/approach
The enquiry is based on a survey featuring a cross-section of 20 technology-based initiatives. A sample of 967 adult residents of the USA provided their views of the extent to which each initiative/scenario conformed to their perception of society’s norms regarding ethical acceptability.
Findings
In total, 13 of the 20 initiatives were deemed unacceptable with the greatest disdain exhibited for a company posting bogus online reviews. Most acceptable were self-service checkouts. Three sub-dimensions of the ethicality construct as it relates to technology-based marketing initiatives were identified and validated as measurement scales for use in future research: involvement, communication, and privacy.
Research limitations/implications
The generalization of findings may be limited because younger and older segments of the population were slightly under- and over-represented, respectively.
Practical implications
Marketers should recognize that consumers are much more accepting of any initiative from which they will derive some benefit. They should also recognize that within this arena, ethical acceptability is a multi-dimensional phenomenon, necessitating that they strategize accordingly.
Originality/value
Although previous research has garnered insights with respect to a particular technology-based marketing initiative, none have explored the relativities of consumer perceived ethicality across an array of different initiatives or examined any latent sub-dimensions of the construct in this arena. This study addresses these deficiencies.
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