Sustainability and Social Responsibility

Impact of User-Centric Advertisement Appeals on Consumers’ Emotional Responses and Sustainable Apparel Purchase Intentions

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Abstract

Conducting a between-subjects online experiment with a national sample of female millennials of the U.S. (n = 344) we found that user-centric advertisement appeal (UCAA) evokes favorable affective response (ARSA) toward sustainable apparel and decrease unfavorable ARSA which in turn, evokes purchase intention for sustainable apparel (PI). Irrespective of the involvement with environmental issues (InvEnv) and the advertisement modalities, UCAAs are primarily processed centrally. Therefore, if consumers are convinced that sustainable apparel are able to meet their concerns (e.g., for buying affordably, styling, self-expressing) their PI for sustainable apparel could be enhanced because the advertisement appeal is not asking consumers to sacrifice their needs to protect environment, thereby compelling them to get engaged with the advertisement message and evaluate it extensively. Therefore, we strongly recommend the sustainable apparel brands to design UCAAs to encourage PI for sustainable apparel, rather than focussing on the appeals for protecting environment.

Keywords: sustainable apparel, purchase intent, affective response, User-centric advertisement appeals

How to Cite:

Chakraborty, S. & Sadachar, A., (2020) “Impact of User-Centric Advertisement Appeals on Consumers’ Emotional Responses and Sustainable Apparel Purchase Intentions”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 77(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.11830