The Role of Greenwashing Suspicion in Advertising Effectiveness

Ann-Elen Waldeier, Stefan Weinacht () and Christopher Morasch ()
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Ann-Elen Waldeier: Westfalian University of Applied Sciences, Institute for Journalism and Public Relations
Stefan Weinacht: Westfalian University of Applied Sciences, Institute for Journalism and Public Relations
Christopher Morasch: Westfalian University of Applied Sciences, Institute for Journalism and Public Relations

A chapter in Strategic Sustainability Communication, 2025, pp 127-142 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Sustainability communication as an increasingly circumscribable research field grounds in communication, management and marketing concepts. This chapter focuses on communication of sustainability, sustainable consumption and green claiming and discusses the effects of non-transparent sustainability communication and greenwashing. It specifically presents a study on how the suspicion of greenwashing in green advertising affects attitudes towards the ad and the brand, as well as the purchase intention. The affect transfer hypothesis is used as a model to understand advertising effects in this context. Additionally, this study delves into potential influencing factors on suspicion of greenwashing, such as the type of green advertising and the “lifestyle of health and sustainability” (LOHAS). The research question is addressed through a quantitative experimental online survey. The results demonstrate that the suspicion of greenwashing has a negative effect on attitude towards the ad and on attitude towards the brand, as well as on purchase intention. The chapter therefore offers new insights into one of the critical aspects of strategic sustainable communication and lays the groundwork for future research on “washing” (green, pink, rainbow, etc.) and the need for re-framing sustainability in business-consumer discourses.

Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:csrchp:978-3-031-89486-2_8

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-89486-2_8

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