The Impact of Attitudes Toward Green Advertising on Brand Image and Consumer Purchase Intentions

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the potential positive relationship between attitudes toward green advertising and consumer purchase intention and its influence on shaping the brand image of green products. By investigating these relationships, the research aims to provide insights into how attitudes toward green advertising can effectively drive consumer behaviour and contribute to the development of a strong, sustainable brand image. Green marketing is used as an alternative strategy to meet consumer needs and as a form of concern for environmental sustainability (Genoveva and Samukti, 2020). According to Chen and Chang (2012), green marketing also reshapes market rules by expanding product offerings and influencing nearly all of a company's activities. These include product modifications, changes in production processes, updates to product packaging, and adjustments in advertising (Ulfiah et al., 2023). Based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour by Ajzen (1991), the combination of attitudes toward behaviour, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control guides the formation of intention, and thus intention is assumed to be an antecedent of actual behaviour (Conner and Sparks, 2005). This research focuses specifically on the dimension of attitudes as the primary internal determinant guiding customer choice. By isolating this aspect, the aim is to provide a more reliable assessment of customers' internal motivations, which are crucial in understanding decision-making processes. The previous research results, as conducted by Nagar (2015), suggest that people tend to behave in ways consistent with their attitudes. Kotler et al. (2016) added that brand image is the perception and belief held by consumers, as reflected in the association embedded in consumer memory. If a product has a good image, then consumers will use the product. Researchers describe the brand image in terms of brand benefits, which are the "personal value" consumers associate with a brand, based on what they perceive the product's attributes will do for them, as noted by Nagar (2015). Alamsyah et al. (2020) suggest that increased awareness of green products can enhance a company's brand image, particularly through effective advertising strategies. In this regard, green advertising not only influences brand image but also plays a significant role in shaping consumers' intention to purchase ecological (green) products. Intention to purchase ecological products is conceptualized as a person's likelihood and willingness to give preference to products with ecological characteristics over other traditional products in one’s purchase considerations (Ali and Ahmad, 2012). In another case, Chan (2001) defines the intention to purchase this type of product as "consumers' behaviour towards a specific type of eco-friendly product to express their concern for the environment". In the context of environmentally friendly products, the basic consumer motivation can be reviewed from the information on environmentally friendly products owned by consumers (Rashid, 2009). Patel and Chugan (2015) highlighted the importance of advertisements focusing on the product's green features, as consumers are more likely to purchase items that offer personal relevance and benefits, rather than those that simply make green claims. Previous studies have confirmed that green advertising can improve consumer purchase intention (Davis, 1994; Haghjou et al., 2013; Kong et al., 2014; Alamsyah et al., 2020; Amallia et al., 2021; Chaniago and Nupus, 2021; Ramadhan et al., 2024) and affect brand image (Nagar, 2015; Chaniago and Nupus, 2021) From here, we propose the following research hypotheses: H1: Attitudes toward green advertising positively affect brand image. H2: Attitudes toward green advertising positively affect purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach The questionnaire used in this study was adapted from Kong et al. (2014). To test the hypotheses, we employed multiple linear regression in SPSS on a sample of 69 respondents. To validate the factors as conceptualized in the literature, we assessed construct validity through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using principal component analysis with Promax rotation. Three factors were extracted, purchase intention (4 items), green brand image (3 items), and attitudes toward green advertising (2 items), accounting for 74.680% of the variance. One item from the green advertising factor was removed due to cross-loading issues. All retained items in the EFA model exhibited standardized factor loadings above the recommended threshold of 0.5, as suggested by Hair et al. (2010). Additionally, Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for purchase intention (0.862), brand image (0.763), and green advertising (0.634) indicate strong internal reliability, with values above the 0.7 threshold recommended by Hair et al. (2010), though the green advertising coefficient, while below 0.7, is still considered acceptable according to Griethuijsen et al. (2014). Normality, linearity, and homoscedasticity were confirmed through the examination of standardized residual plots (Tabachnick and Fidell, 2012). Moreover, the variables adhered to acceptable values for VIF and Tolerance (Hair et al., 1995), and the Durbin-Watson test indicated no autocorrelation in the residuals from the regression analysis (Durbin and Watson, 1971). Findings We created two models to apply multiple linear regression: the first model explores the relationship between attitudes toward green advertising and purchase intention, while the second model investigates the impact of attitudes toward green advertising on brand image. Both overall models are statistically significant. The R square and Adjusted R square values show that attitudes toward green advertising account for 24.1% and 22.9% of the variation in consumers’ purchase intention, respectively, and 11.5% and 10.2% of the variation in brand image. According to the p-value for both regression models, we confirm hypotheses H1 (p-value = 0.004) and H2 (p-value = 0.000). The standardized beta coefficients, as presented in Table 1, indicate that attitudes toward green advertising have the most significant positive impact on purchase intention (0.491), followed by its effect on brand image (0.339). This is supported by the findings of Davis (1994), who believes that environmentally-themed corporate advertising improves both the environmental reputation of companies and their product image, thereby increasing consumers' intent to purchase their products. According to H1 of this research, there is a significant relationship between attitudes toward green advertising and brand image, as also found in previous studies (Nagar, 2015; Chaniago and Nupus, 2021) Therefore, as mentioned in Nagar (2015), initiative by the firm in the form of green advertising, communicating its environmental concerns to the consumers is likely to spill over to the sponsor brand, leading to a positive opinion about the brand’s image, as confirmed by our results. Amallia et al. (2021) confirmed the positive relationship between green advertising and purchase intention, stating that an increased frequency of advertisements can enhance potential consumers' engagement with the ads and increase their knowledge of environmentally friendly products, influencing purchasing decisions based on advertising content. However, the results of the present study contradicted the study by Kong et al. (2014), who found that green advertising did not significantly influence green purchase intention. Instead, Kong’s research identified green corporate perception, eco-labels, and product value as the three most significant determinants of green purchase intention. Originality/value The results provide a comprehensive understanding of how attitudes toward green advertising affect consumer behaviour and influence the intention to purchase eco-friendly products by building a positive brand image. Extensive research has been conducted to investigate the impact of certain factors on purchase intention, including green marketing, brand image, advertising, and price (Ramadhan et al., 2024); perception of green products, which is conceptualized as a multidimensional variable comprised of green corporate perception, eco-label, green advertising, green packaging, and green product value (Kong et al., 2014). Alamsyah et al. (2020) reviewed the positive correlation among green advertising, green brand image, and customer green awareness of environment-friendly products and their impacts on purchase intention, while Patel and Chugan (2015) pointed out that environmental knowledge, company image, product feature improvisation, and ethical impact are the aspects of green advertising that had positive significant influences on consumers green purchase intention. As well, some researchers have investigated the direct relationship between brand image and purchase intention (Kong et al. 2014; Ramadhan, et al., 2024), or the influence of green marketing on consumers’ purchase decisions mediated by brand image (Genoveva and Samukti, 2020; Chaniago and Nupus, 2021; Ulfiah et al., 2023;). Research has primarily focused on the impact of green advertising on purchase intention (Davis, 1994; Haghjou et al., 2013; Kong et al., 2014; Alamsyah et al., 2020; Amallia et al., 2021; Chaniago and Nupus, 2021; Ramadhan et al., 2024) or the effect of brand image on purchase intention (Kong et al., 2014; Ramadhan et al., 2024). However, there is a research gap regarding the direct influence of attitudes toward green advertising on brand image keeping in mind that the research base that has explored the relationship between green advertising and brand image is scarce (Nagar, 2015; Chaniago and Nupus, 2021). Therefore, the originality of this study is grounded in its focus on attitudes toward green advertising as a driving factor that shapes the brand image and consequently influences the purchase intention of eco-friendly products. However, further research may be conducted by examining a particular type of green advertisement, such as online advertising and social media activities. The results provide valuable insights for marketers, encouraging them to continue investing in environmental responsibility and developing effective advertising strategies for their products. Therefore, to create a favourable attitude toward eco-friendly products, more intensive marketing communications, and green advertising strategies should be employed.