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Do sustainable products make us prevention focused?

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  • Olya Bullard
  • Rajesh Manchanda

Abstract

In recent years, increasing attention is evident with regard to the depletion of natural resources, the development of “green” products and services and the sustainability practices of organisations. Building on Regulatory Focus theory (Higgins, Organ Behav Hum Decis Processes 69(2):117–132, 1997 ), we examine the difference between a promotion focus for marketing products and services (which emphasises attainment, achievement and advancement) and a prevention focus (which emphasises protection, security and responsibility). The results of three empirical studies show that (1) perceived sustainability practices of a company activate a prevention focus in consumers, (2) consumers make prevention-focused inferences about the products of a sustainable company, and (3) sustainable products are perceived to be better positioned if they are marketed with prevention-framed (vs. promotion-framed) appeals. This suggests that companies with sustainability-oriented practices and product offerings will be more effective if they use prevention-focused appeals in their marketing efforts. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Olya Bullard & Rajesh Manchanda, 2013. "Do sustainable products make us prevention focused?," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 177-189, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:mktlet:v:24:y:2013:i:2:p:177-189
    DOI: 10.1007/s11002-012-9221-2
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Crowe, Ellen & Higgins, E. Tory, 1997. "Regulatory Focus and Strategic Inclinations: Promotion and Prevention in Decision-Making," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 69(2), pages 117-132, February.
    2. Fisher, Robert J, 1993. "Social Desirability Bias and the Validity of Indirect Questioning," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 20(2), pages 303-315, September.
    3. Iain Davies & Zoe Lee & Ine Ahonkhai, 2012. "Do Consumers Care About Ethical-Luxury?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 106(1), pages 37-51, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jia Wang & Yangli Gu & Haohang Xin & Xiaomei Wang, 2022. "Influence of Appeal Type and Message Framing on Residents’ Intent to Engage in Pro-Environmental Behavior," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-27, November.
    2. Zou, Lili Wenli & Chan, Ricky Y.K., 2019. "Why and when do consumers perform green behaviors? An examination of regulatory focus and ethical ideology," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 113-127.
    3. Matthew B. Lunde, 2018. "Sustainability in marketing: a systematic review unifying 20 years of theoretical and substantive contributions (1997–2016)," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 8(3), pages 85-110, December.
    4. Ying Sun & Biao Luo & Shanyong Wang & Wenpei Fang, 2021. "What you see is meaningful: Does green advertising change the intentions of consumers to purchase eco‐labeled products?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(1), pages 694-704, January.
    5. Li Yan & Hean Tat Keh & Xiaoyu Wang, 2021. "Powering Sustainable Consumption: The Roles of Green Consumption Values and Power Distance Belief," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 169(3), pages 499-516, March.
    6. Moon-Yong Kim & Minhee Son, 2021. "What Determines Consumer Attitude toward Green Credit Card Services? A Moderated Mediation Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-18, September.
    7. Bullard, Olya & Penner, Sara, 2017. "A regulatory-focused perspective on philanthropy: Promotion focus motivates giving to prevention-framed causes," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 173-180.
    8. Ricky Y. K. Chan, 2021. "Do chief information officers matter for sustainable development? Impact of their regulatory focus on green information technology strategies and corporate performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(5), pages 2523-2534, July.
    9. Hyo Jung (Julie) Chang & Nasir Rakib & Jaehan Min, 2023. "An Exploration of Transformative Learning Applied to the Triple Bottom Line of Sustainability for Fashion Consumers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-14, June.

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