How Brand Credibility and Greenwashing Perception Shape the Effectiveness of Advertising Appeals on Brand Engagement and Purchase Intentions of Green Products

Sustainability has been gaining wide importance in organisations. Companies have been pursuing sustainable practices and promoting green offerings, in an attempt to replenish some of the natural resources and reduce sustainability-related risks. To do so, they have been relying on green marketing. The main goal of this investigation is to examine if, for green products, rational (vs emotional) appeals increase brand engagement and purchase intentions. In addition, we examine if the increase in brand engagement and purchase intentions may be mediated by brand credibility and consumers’ greenwashing perception. This study also examines if product value (utilitarian vs hedonic) may moderate the effect of rational (versus emotional) appeals, in green products, on brand engagement and purchase intentions. To test the proposed conceptual model, a quantitative approach was used through an experiment using a questionnaire, obtaining a total of 412 responses. This investigation’s results prove that, in green marketing, rational (vs emotional) appeals increase brand engagement and consumers' purchase intention, as initially predicted. The mediation and moderation hypotheses did not show statistical significance and were rejected. This study expands the existing literature on green advertising appeals and, in practical terms, emphasises the effective impact of rational rather than emotional appeals in increasing brand engagement and purchase intention for green products, regardless of the type of product (utilitarian or hedonic).