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Flipping the Script: Harnessing Consumer Knowledge, Message Order and Refutation for Effective Two‐Sided Green Advertising

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Megha Bharti
Megha Bharti
Megha Bharti
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Mehak Bharti
Mehak Bharti
Mehak Bharti
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Abstract and Figures

Green product advertisements often face credibility challenges due to perceived greenwashing, contributing to the attitude‐behavior gap in green consumption. This research examines the strategic use of two‐sided messaging through five experimental studies, assessing its impact on green consumption across various product categories. We explore the nuances of message order, demonstrating that placing the negative message first can either weaken or strengthen green product purchase based on consumers' knowledge of the green product category. This finding highlights that conventional order may not always be effective, especially in green marketing, where consumer knowledge varies. Furthermore, we explore the interactive effect of consumer knowledge in two‐sided messaging involving refutational appeals. Overall, our research offers valuable insights for marketers aiming to strategically leverage two‐sided advertising to enhance green product adoption.
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Psychology & Marketing
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Flipping the Script: Harnessing Consumer Knowledge,
Message Order and Refutation for Effective Two‐Sided
Green Advertising
Megha Bharti
1
| Mehak Bharti
2
1
XLRI‐Xavier School of Management, Delhi‐NCR campus, Gurugram, Haryana, India |
2
Ted Rogers School of Business, Toronto Metropolitan University,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Correspondence: Megha Bharti (meghabharti@xlri.ac.in)
Received: 30 April 2024 | Revised: 3 January 2025 | Accepted: 6 January 2025
Funding: XLRI Xavier School of Management.
Keywords: consumer knowledge | green advertising | negative message placement | refutational ads | two‐sided advertising
ABSTRACT
Green product advertisements often face credibility challenges due to perceived greenwashing, contributing to the attitude‐
behavior gap in green consumption. This research examines the strategic use of two‐sided messaging through five experimental
studies, assessing its impact on green consumption across various product categories. We explore the nuances of message order,
demonstrating that placing the negative message first can either weaken or strengthen green product purchase based on
consumers' knowledge of the green product category. This finding highlights that conventional order may not always be
effective, especially in green marketing, where consumer knowledge varies. Furthermore, we explore the interactive effect of
consumer knowledge in two‐sided messaging involving refutational appeals. Overall, our research offers valuable insights for
marketers aiming to strategically leverage two‐sided advertising to enhance green product adoption.
1 | Introduction
The global community is increasingly recognizing the importance of
environmental preservation and is actively working towards sus-
tainable practices as a collective goal. More and more brands are
embracing sustainable practices and are introducing eco‐friendly
alternatives to standard product offerings (Jaiswal, Deshmukh, and
Thaichon 2022; Sreen et al. 2021). This shift is mirrored by con-
sumers who are progressively aligning their purchasing behaviors to
favor green products, demonstrating a growing commitment to
sustainable consumption (Pope 2021). Green products refer to goods
that have less impact on the environment and are less detrimental
to human health compared to the conventional alternatives (Sdrolia
and Zarotiadis 2019).
Despite the favorable trend towards green consumption, the
credibility of green advertising remains a formidable challenge
due to the prevalent skepticism surrounding greenwashing, that
is, where brands appear sustainable without genuine commit-
ment (Matthes and Wonneberger 2014; Nguyen, Chung, and
Lagace 2023). High‐profile greenwashing scandals, like Volks-
wagen's “Clean Diesel”lie (US Justice Department 2016), Shell's
fake “carbon‐neutral“claims (George 2021), and Unilever's
misleading environmental ads (Financial Times 2023), have
been exposed, igniting widespread consumer skepticism. These
revelations have not only tarnished brand reputations but also
severely undermined the credibility of green advertising, fueling
a wave of skepticism across green industries (Eser 2024; Sajid
et al. 2024). Recent research in Europe shows that 67% of
consumers actively seek green options, yet over 33% are skep-
tical of brands' sustainability claims (Barratt 2023). Addition-
ally, greenwashing has become a growing concern globally
(Ioannou, Kassinis, and Papagiannakis 2022; Walser 2023), with
65% of US consumers reporting skepticism towards companies'
© 2025 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
1361 of 1431Psychology & Marketing, 2025; 42:1361–1378
https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.22184
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