Eco-harmful media perceptions and consumer response to advertising

Because of increasing levels of environmental concern among consumers and its impact on their behavior, green marketing is gaining in importance. This study investigates eco-harmful media perceptions and their influence on consumer response to advertising. Findings show that the use of advertising media perceived as less eco-harmful can enhance ad and brand evaluations and purchase intentions while advertising media perceived as more eco-harmful can lower such evaluations. Results also show that priming consumers with negative or positive information can produce similar results indicating that marketers can influence consumer media perceptions, and ultimately advertising effectiveness, including purchase intention. Results extend previous findings on media context effects and cognitive priming effects, and shed light on the importance of considering the environmental aspects of media when developing advertising plans.