Understanding how ethical claims in advertising affect subjective ambivalence toward buying ethical products
Jean-François Toti and
Andrea Milena Sánchez Romero
Additional contact information
Jean-François Toti: LUMEN - Lille University Management Lab - ULR 4999 - Université de Lille
Andrea Milena Sánchez Romero: CleRMa - Clermont Recherche Management - ESC Clermont-Ferrand - École Supérieure de Commerce (ESC) - Clermont-Ferrand - UCA - Université Clermont Auvergne
Post-Print from HAL
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.
Keywords: Subjective ambivalence; Ethical consumption behaviors; Skepticism; Perceived brand ethicality; Ethical claims (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023-11-21
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)
Published in European Journal of Marketing, 2023, 57 (12), pp.3125-3161. ⟨10.1108/EJM-11-2020-0831⟩
There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.
Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.
Export reference: BibTeX
RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan)
HTML/Text
Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04348588
DOI: 10.1108/EJM-11-2020-0831
Access Statistics for this paper
More papers in Post-Print from HAL
Bibliographic data for series maintained by CCSD ().