Purpose Most countries and companies are embracing environmental, social and governance (ESG) activities to achieve sustainability; however, it has increased corporate greenwashing promotion and raised consumer exposure to irrational statements. This study aims to provide an evidence-based framework for corporate strategic ESG investment by quantifying the economic value of activities, overcoming greenwashing issues and measuring the relative importance of each green activity. By moving beyond consumer awareness, this research provides specific managerial solutions for rebuilding consumer trust and making credible ESG commitments. Design/methodology/approach Using contingent valuation and swing weighting methods, data from 1,000 South Korean respondents are analyzed to measure willingness-to-pay (WTP) for corporate anti-greenwashing activities. The Seemingly Unrelated Regressions method in this study reveals the experimental and cognitive factors differentiating the value of each green activity. Findings Consumers are willing to pay approximately 7% additional cost on annual plastic consumption expenses to support corporate efforts against greenwashing. Preferences vary based on prior experiences and values. Environmentally friendly activities receive slightly higher support than integrity-related initiatives. Practical implications The results of this study help corporations establish environmentally friendly strategies aligned with consumer preferences and determine acceptable green product price increases. Our findings provide an evidence-based framework to counteract customers' skepticism by identifying corporate green activities as credible ESG progress and offering a clear pathway to ensure financial benefits and public trust repair. Originality/value This study moves beyond consumer-level awareness of greenwashing to provide corporate strategy insights. Quantifying the economic value of green trust recovery and identifying preferred ESG activities offer novel perspectives on developing sustainability strategies with public support.
Purpose The current work investigates how consumers process sensory, affective, behavioural and intellectual brand experiences in the immersive environment of metaverse and the moderating role of product types (utilitarian vs hedonic).Design/methodology/approach This research follows a between-subject experimental design consisting of three studies with a 2 & times;2 factorial design of Immersion (Low vs High) and Product Types (Utilitarian vs Hedonic) covering 496 participants. Hypotheses were tested using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and process model for mediation analysis.Findings The findings reveal that fun mediates the affective elaboration to influence sensory and affective brand experiences for hedonic products. Perceived diagnosticity mediates the cognitive elaboration to influence behavioural and intellectual brand experiences for both utilitarian and hedonic products. Social presence mediates both cognitive and affective elaboration to influence the sensory, affective, behavioural and intellectual brand experiences of hedonic products.Originality/value The current work contributes to the literature by examining brand experience in virtual environments of metaverse from a fresh perspective of affective-cognitive elaboration. It provides a nuanced perspective on the causal elements of fun, perceived diagnosticity and social presence that enhance the sensory and cognitive experiences of users in an immersive virtual environment. Additionally, the work establishes the boundary condition of product types (utilitarian vs hedonic) and provides impetus for brands to create engaging experiences that appeal to the mind and senses.
Purpose This study investigates how influencer type (human vs virtual) and emotional appeal (nostalgic vs neutral) interact to shape consumers' green purchase intentions within the context of social media influencer (SMI) marketing.Design/methodology/approach A 2 (influencer type: human influencer vs virtual influencer) & times; 2 (emotional appeal: nostalgia vs neutral) between-subjects online experiment was conducted using Weibo-based advertisements promoting an eco-friendly product. The study also examines the mediating roles of concerns for social connection and creativity.Findings Results reveal a significant interaction between influencer type and emotional appeal. Human influencers (HIs) paired with nostalgic appeals elicit higher green purchase intentions than other conditions, while virtual influencers (VIs) are more effective when using neutral emotional appeals. Furthermore, the effect of HIs using nostalgic appeals is mediated by consumers' concerns for social connection, whereas the effect of VIs using neutral appeals is mediated by concerns for creativity.Originality/value This study contributes to influencer marketing and green advertising research by identifying effective combinations of influencer type and emotional appeal. It advances understanding of how emotional fit and psychological mechanisms drive green consumption and offers strategic insights for optimizing both human and virtual influencer campaigns in sustainability-oriented marketing.
Purpose This study aims to investigate how choice sets influence consumers' sequential health product choices. We examined how their composition (homogeneous vs mixed) affected consumers' perception of hedonic value in a prior health product and their subsequent health choices, considering consumption timing and consumers' age differences.Design/methodology/approach We used a scenario-based experimental design with two studies. Study 1 (n = 196) examined whether choice set type (mixed vs homogeneous) affected perceived hedonic value and subsequent choices. Study 2 (n = 431) replicated Study 1 and added consumption timing (same vs different) as a factor, using a 2 & times; 2 between-subjects design with mediation analysis.Findings Health products chosen from a mixed choice set were perceived as lower hedonic than those from a homogeneous set, decreasing preference for health products in subsequent choice situations when consumption timing was the same. However, with different consumption timing, mixed choice sets better promote sequential health choices. These effects were stronger among younger consumers (aged 20-43 years).Originality/value The originality lies in identifying choice sets as marketing interventions that influence sequential health choices. Previous research focused on one-shot decisions; this study uniquely reveals how choice set composition in prior health choice situations affects perceived hedonic value and subsequent health choices, bridging marketing with sequential choice psychology.
Purpose This study aims to explore the role of marketing using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in the competitive marketing performance of small businesses (SMBs), utilising the Resource-Based View (RBV), Dynamic Capabilities (DC), and the Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) framework. Design/methodology/approach This research examines the existing literature on the relationship between Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and marketing, with a particular focus on its role in competitive marketing performance in SMBs, following the PRISMA guidelines. This analysis aims to enhance understanding of how SMBs can leverage GenAI in their marketing strategies to improve their competitive edge, while underscoring the significance of limited budgets, niche-market focus, the development of AI competencies and infrastructure, and ethical considerations. Findings This research develops a theoretical framework that proposes eight key research propositions for GenAI marketing. Using this framework, chatbots, multimodal GenAI, large language models, and deep learning in GenAI can significantly improve competitive marketing performance by increasing revenue, reducing costs, maintaining business continuity, and enhancing positive customer experiences and retention, particularly when applied through personalised customer interactions, high-quality marketing content creation, and data analytics for market insights. Additionally, factors such as limited budgets, niche market focus, AI expertise, infrastructure development, and ethical considerations may shape the interaction between GenAI and marketing in small businesses. Originality/value Drawing on the Resource-Based View (RBV), Dynamic Capabilities (DC), and the Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) framework, together with existing literature on GenAI-enabled marketing and competitive marketing performance, this study develops a theoretical framework that explains the relationships among GenAI, marketing, and the competitive marketing performance of SMBs. The research emphasises the link between GenAI and marketing, examining its effect on competitive marketing performance, while also considering influencing factors such as limited budgets, a focus on niche markets, improvements in AI skills and infrastructure, and ethical concerns.
