[PDF] ESG for Consumer Product Brands: Whitewashing the Greenwash

How does greenwashing affect consumers' perceptions of ads and brands?

Moreover, associating greenwashing claims with nature-evoking images activates an affective persuasive mechanism that appeals to consumers’ af?nity for nature, which not only positively in?uences their evaluations of ads and brands but also in?uences their attitudes toward ads and brands more strongly than perceived greenwashing.

What are the external market drivers of greenwashing?

The external market drivers of greenwashing include consumer and investor demand for green products, services, and firms. Organizational-level drivers include firm incentive structure and ethical climate, effectiveness of intra-firm communication, and organizational iner- tia.

What is the difference between greenwashing Adver- Tising and visual green-washing cues?

Whereas greenwashing claims in adver- tising can induce a rational mechanism by which consumers can perceive the greenwashing intentions of ads, visual green- washing cues can appeal to consumers’ af?nity toward nature in what constitutes an affective mechanism (Schmuck et al. 2017).

Does visual support a vague claim Foster greenwashing perceptions?

However, in contrast to combined false claims, combined vague claims did not foster greenwashing perceptions, which suggests that visually supporting a vague claim with images of nature not only goes undetected in terms of greenwashing but can even enhance attitudes toward ads and brands by way of virtual nature experiences.