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Increasing purchasing intention of eco-efficient products: the role of the

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DOI: 10.1057/s41262-019-00150-0

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https://doi.org/10.1057/s41262-019-00150-0

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Increasing purchasing intention of eco‑efficient products: the role

of the advertising communication strategy and the branding strategy
Evandro Luiz Lopes1   · Ricardo Teixeira Veiga2

Revised: 27 May 2017

© Springer Nature Limited 2019

Abstract
Eco-efficient products achieve a balance between resource efficiency and environmental responsibility, including economic,
social, and ecological aspects. Due to increasing consumer environmental awareness, companies have been pushed to consider
the environmental impact of their activities, in terms of production processes and the design of marketed products. To gauge
the effects of different advertising strategies on the purchase intention of eco-efficient products for different brand strategies and
different consumers, we conducted three experiments with 449 college students as subjects. The effects of different marketing
strategies, the use of brand names, and the subjects’ regulatory foci (promotion and prevention) were manipulated and measured.
First, the power of brand extension was demonstrated, as the purchase intention of an eco-efficient version of an existing product
is higher than that of a new eco-efficient brand. Second, it was shown that using positive emotional advertising has a stronger
effect than using informative advertising. Third, we detected a mild effect on purchase intention when using an informational
approach in communication. Finally, the negative promotional communication strategy had the greatest effect on purchase inten-
tion for prevention-focused individuals, and the positive emotional strategy had the greatest effect for promotion-focused subjects.
It was also evident that a new brand per se does not contribute to increasing the purchase intention of an eco-efficient product.

Keywords  Eco-efficient products · Promotional communication strategies · Regulatory focus · Experiment

Introduction Consumer environmental awareness is a pull factor for green

Concern over environmental damage leads companies to
develop models of management, product development,
and production planning to analyze the life cycle of raw
materials and energy consumption in their products and
processes. Eco-efficient products are intended to achieve
a balance between resource efficiency and environmental
responsibility, including economic, social, and ecological
aspects (Honkasalo 2002). Examples of eco-efficient prod-
ucts include high-tech products such as hybrid and/or elec-
tric cars and heating systems that use solar energy and sim-
pler products such as presence sensors for ambient lighting.
* Evandro Luiz Lopes
elldijo@uol.com.br; elldijo@uni9.pro.br
1
Universidade Nove de Julho, Rua Vergueiro 235,
01504‑001 São Paulo, Brazil
2
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Pres. Antônio
Carlos, 6627 ‑ Pampulha, 31270‑901 Belo Horizonte, MG,
Brazil
product and process innovation (Joshi and Rahman 2015).
Even if the world market consumes approximately US
$1.37 billion in green products and services, and consumption
is expected to be roughly US $2.74 billion by 2020, advanced
environmental technologies seem to be consumed currently only
by niche markets because of their high cost (Schmidt 2001). Nev-
ertheless, there is a belief that costs will certainly decrease over
time, either by reducing the costs of new technologies (Noppers
et al. 2014) or by increasing demand (Kim et al. 2015; Fiore et al.
2017), and current niches will give way to mass markets (Naka-
mura and Kondo 2006). Until this occurs, eco-efficient products
will focus on specific segments with higher purchasing power.
In contrast to (high) cost, which factors facilitate the
adoption of eco-efficient products? A brand and its adver-
tising strategy can influence beliefs, attitudes, and consumer
purchase intention. Therefore, it would be reasonable to
assume that companies will profit if they link their brands
(or brands of their products) to eco-efficiency concepts. It is
also possible that managers could encourage the adoption of
eco-efficient products (EPs) by manipulating their advertis-
ing communication strategy.

Vol.:(0123456789)

For most companies, growth is driven by the successful
development and marketing of new products or services.
A prime example of this is the 3 M top management goal
of achieving 40% of sales generated by products developed
within the last 5 years. However, within 5 years, firms dis-
continue almost half of their newly introduced products
(Taylor and Bearden 2003). Companies often attempt to link
an established brand to a new product in a branding strategy
known as brand extension, hoping that a new product will
profit from the reputation of the source brand (Delvecchio
and Smith 2005). Although this is a trendy strategy widely
used by global companies such as Unilever and Nestlé, few
experimental investigations have been conducted to gauge
the acceptance of new brands compared with extensions
(Mccarthy et al. 2001; Huang et al. 2017).
On the one hand, different options for EPs are sold in sev-
eral product categories with great variations in price, which
may lead consumers to demonstrate different levels of pur-
chase effort, resulting in different involvement levels. On the
other hand, different advertising communication strategies
can motivate and persuade consumers. Such strategies, as
typified by Aaker et al. (1986) and endorsed by France et al.
(1994) and Geuens and De Pelsmacker (1998), are known
as informational, positive emotional, and negative emotional
strategies.
The literature on each of the three categories of advertis-
ing communication strategies is already established. How-
ever, there are no studies on their application and effects on
the intention to purchase EPs. Likewise, the benefits and
biases of using brand extension are already known (Ferguson
et al. 2016; Hussain and Rashid 2016), but studies on brand
extension in EPs are scarce.
Given the emotional aspects involved in the decision
process to purchase EP (Lee 2017), previous studies have
identified emotional (or sentimental) associations justifying
the adoption of EP (Ginsberg and Bloom 2004; Golubevaitė
2008), to the detriment of others without sustainable char-
acteristics, another relevant factor that can contribute to
understanding the effectiveness of the promotional commu-
nication of eco-efficient products is the orientation—promo-
tion or prevention—of the consumer. We understand that a
theoretical gap has been identified because the interaction
between the strategies of communication and brand exten-
sion in consumers with different regulatory foci (prevention
or promotion) remains unclear. Even though previous studies
have analyzed the effect of regulatory focus on the product
evaluation process, none have so far verified this personality
trait in the evaluation of products whose emotional charac-
teristics are highly relevant (Testa et al. 2015; Klein and
Melnyk 2016). Furthermore, research has not determined
how the communication strategy used by a brand can influ-
ence this process. Thus, we propose the following research
question: What are the effects of the different advertising
E. L. Lopes, R. T. Veiga
communication strategies on the intention to purchase eco-
efficient products for different brand strategies given the
consumer’s regulatory focus?
To answer this question, we performed three experi-
ments, which will be presented following a brief theoretical
review, in which we analyze the main theoretical pillars that
provided the foundation for our study—new brands versus
brand extension, communication strategies, and regulatory
focus. In the first experiment, we analyzed the effect of a
brand extension (vs. a new brand) on the intention to buy
an eco-efficient product. In the second study, also framed
in the context of the intention to buy eco-efficient products,
we analyzed the effect of the different strategies of advertis-
ing communication for consumers with different orienta-
tions of regulatory focus. Finally, in the third experiment, we
analyzed on aggregate the variables of advertising strategy,
consumer regulatory focus, and brand management strategy
(new vs. extension).
Theoretical review
In this section, we briefly discuss the main theoretical
concepts regarding advertising strategies and the use of
trademarks.
Consumer assessments of new brands versus brand
extensions
Frequent use of the brand extension strategy is a result of the
understanding that consumers prefer extensions to new and
unfamiliar brands (Mccarthy et al. 2001). Marketing studies
have shown that between 80 and 90% of products launched
annually use this branding strategy (Keller 2003; Völckner
and Sattler 2004).
A brand is extended when it is additionally employed in
goods/services of a different class from the one in which it
is usually marked (Swaminathan et al. 2001). This is also
the view of Aaker (1998), who claimed that brand exten-
sion occurs when an already established brand name (main,
original, or parent brand) in a market or category of products
is used to enter into another market or category of products
in which the brand is not yet active.
Brand extensions benefit from the transfer of the per-
ceived quality of the original brand, which is usually well
known (Aaker and Keller 1990; Dens et al. 2008). Smith and
Park’s (1992) survey showed that brand extensions captured
the largest share of the market and demonstrated greater
efficiency in returns on advertising investment compared to
new brands. The result of brand extension strategies is an
increase in positive affect and reduction in perceived risk in
comparison with new brands (Lai 2006).
Increasing purchasing intention of eco‑efficient products: the role of the advertising…
Studies have pointed out that there is a transfer, both posi-
tive and negative, of attributes from the original brand to
the brand extension. Aaker and Keller (1990) stated that
when there are inconsistencies between the attributes of the
original brand and the extended brand, consumers tend to
perceive the strategy of brand extension as negative. On the
other hand, they argue that the perception of quality in com-
paring the main brand to its extension is positively affected
when the product categories are complementary. Since the
existing brands used in that study benefited from a favora-
ble image and the new extensions were cautiously fitted to
the existing brands, we generally expect responses to the
line extensions of known brands to be more positive than
responses to new brands.
Brand extensions are associated with stronger positive
attitudes than new brands (Mccarthy et al. 2001).
Even though a study conducted by Michel and Donthu
(2014) found significant effects for brand extensions in the
conditions of central and peripheral associations in relation
to the extended brand, it is already known that the extension
of strong brands leads consumers to react more favorably to
marketing activities (Hoeffler and Keller 2003).
Previous studies were not conclusive when it came to
identifying the best branding strategy for launching an eco-
friendly product. De Chiara (2016) analyzed data from 109
Italian companies on the use of green product labels and
brands. One of the outcomes of the study was that the mis-
alignment between the introduction of eco-efficient products
to the portfolio and the general strategy of the company,
recognized in the market as negative, affected the behavio-
ral intention of consumers. In addition, Olsen et al. (2014)
identified a positive effect for a brand when it introduces an
EP into its portfolio. However, when 75 new products were
introduced to the market, the analysis of the effect of a brand
in relation to the EP was inconclusive.
Even if there is no clear indication that a recognized
brand extension will have significantly greater results than
the use of a new brand, we understand that because of the
lower perceived risks associated with the use of a known
brand product, the brand extension will increase intent to
purchase the EP. Therefore, the first hypothesis of the study
may be given:
Hypothesis 1  When applied to EPs, brand extensions have
a stronger positive effect on purchase intention than new
brands.
Regulatory focus theory
The literature demonstrates that regulatory focus is an emo-
tional cognitive phenomenon that explains the relationship
between motivation, self-regulation, and goal achievement
(Higgins 1997). It also identifies two basic orientations
guiding consumer behavior: focus on promotion and focus
on prevention. According to this cognitive psychology the-
ory, during the process of acquiring information and evalu-
ating alternatives, individuals with a promotion focus will
react more positively to options that signal their positive
aspects, whereas individuals with a prevention focus will be
more easily persuaded by options that reinforce the negative
aspects.
Previous studies have indicated that information on earn-
ings will have a greater effect on individuals with a promo-
tion focus, while information regarding losses will have a
smaller effect on prevention-focused individuals (Higgins
1997; Higgins et al. 2001; Pham and Avnet 2004; Zhao
and Pechmann 2007). To achieve a desired outcome, the
regulatory focus of a consumer may induce strategic incli-
nations of approach or distance (Akhtar and Lee 2014). A
focus on promotion involves sensitivity to positive results
(both their presence and absence). Therefore, an approach
that matches the desired final state is the natural strategy for
self-regulation with a focus on promotion (Higgins 1997).
Reasonably, the focus on prevention involves sensitivity to
negative results (both their absence and presence). Thus, an
inclination toward distance that does not match the desired
final state is the natural strategy for self-regulation focused
on prevention.
One aspect of the focus on promotion, marked by anxi-
ety (Pham and Chang 2010), is a strong concern for seizing
opportunities. Alternatively, the focus on prevention, based
on surveillance (Pham and Chang 2010; Akhtar and Lee
2014), is characterized by a strong concern with avoiding
errors (Pham and Higgins 2005). Consequently, individuals
with a focus on promotion tend to maximize hits and mini-
mize failures, while prevention-oriented individuals tend to
maximize correct rejections and minimize errors.
Although Sengupta and Zhou (2007) claimed that regula-
tory focus cannot be considered a personality trait, there are
clues, both theoretical and empirical, that regulatory focus
is indeed a state that may be analyzed as a fleeting context-
sensitive personality trait (Pham and Chang 2010). In this
respect, a theoretical idea that has gained ground states that,
depending on the process of his/her socialization and cog-
nitive formation, an individual will be either promotion or
prevention focused (Higgins 1997; Binswanger 2001).
It is likely that the regulatory adjustment caused by the
congruence of the promotional communication strategy of
an EP will influence the consumer’s intention to buy. Regu-
latory adjustment is the congruence between individuals’
motivational orientations (regulatory focus), be it promo-
tion or prevention, and the strategy to achieve their goals.
The relationship between this orientation and the way a
goal is pursued usually affects consumption assessments
and thus behavior (Higgins 2012). This adjustment occurs
because the information is compatible with the consumer’s

motivational orientation at that time. Therefore, it is easier
to process and understand information that is consistent with
the individual’s regulatory orientation. Although some pre-
vious studies have indicated that non-regulatory adjustment
may be more persuasive in relation to adjustment according
to situational conditions (Higgins and Scholer 2009; Lee
2009; Tam and Spanjol 2012), the phenomenon of regula-
tory adjustment is predominant in the literature (Wang et al.
2017). Thus, the following hypotheses may be stated:
Hypothesis 2a  The intention to buy EPs on the part of
individuals oriented toward a prevention focus will be
greater (lower) when advertising uses negative (positive)
emotional discourse.
Hypothesis 2b  The intention to buy EPs on the part of
individuals oriented toward a promotion focus will be
greater (lower) when advertising uses positive (negative)
emotional discourse.
To test the first hypothesis, we designed the first experi-
ment, described as follows.
Study 1: the role of brand extension
The purpose of Study 1 was to compare the effect of a brand
name extension with the effect of a new brand on the pur-
chase intention of an EP. For this purpose, Study 1 included
a single-factor experiment in which the advertisement of an
economic light bulb was manipulated. The economic light
bulb was used because it is a low-involvement product (Mit-
tal 1989; Serrão 2005; Ghasemaghaei and Hassanein 2015;
O’Neil and Eisenmann 2017), and therefore, the manipula-
tion of brands and contexts tends to be perceived as very
similar. Like batteries, salt and pens, light bulbs have been
used as a product with low involvement in several academic
studies (Mittal 1989). We chose light bulbs because of the
eco-efficient appeal that the new models offer consumers.
Stimulus
We used an initial pretest to choose the brands for the experi-
ment. Two undergraduate students from business courses
drew up a list of manufacturers of home appliances and elec-
trical and electronic products that could also produce bulbs
for residential use. Nine other students (five men and four
women, Mage = 22.7 years) rated the brands suggested by
the first group, using a 10-point scale anchored by 1 = “This
brand would certainly not be a good manufacturer of light
bulbs” and 10 = “This brand would certainly be an excellent
manufacturer of light bulbs.”
Student’s t test for paired samples showed a significant
difference between the assessments performed for the best
E. L. Lopes, R. T. Veiga
evaluated brands (MSamsung = 9.67, SD = .7 and MSony = 7.33,
SD = 2.3; t(8) = 3.055, p < .05). Following this result, Sam-
sung, ranked in the “Top of Mind Brazil 2017” in the cat-
egory of innovative products (Folha de São Paulo 2017), was
chosen as the brand name for which a false extension would
be created. The same creative process was used to generate
the list of fake brands. Two students brainstormed the names,
and the nine-student group rated them. Student’s t test for
paired samples indicated a significant difference between the
evaluations performed for Stilux (M = 4.67, SD = 1.7) and
Órion (M = 6.44, SD = .8, t(8) = 2.399, p < .05), which were
preferred by the evaluators. Thus, Órion was adopted as a
more suitable fake brand for the experiment.
Following the choice of brands to be compared, we
designed the advertisements for brand extensions. Except
for the brand quoted, the advertisements were identical. In
a background of neutral color, an energy-saving light bulb
was presented along with the following statement: “In addi-
tion to saving electricity, [Órion vs. Samsung] electronic
light bulbs last more than 8000 h.” The rest of the text was
standardized, including an appeal to save the environment,
placing emphasis on the corresponding brand. Written in
Portuguese, the stimuli are shown in Figs. 1 and 2.
Measures
The efficiency of the manipulation was gauged by the brand
recognition estimated for an item (I know the brand of
that bulb) on a five-point scale anchored by 1 = Certainly
not and 5 = Certainly. We also estimated the quality of the
advertisement perceived by the respondent through a scale
adapted from DeBono and Packer (1991), consisting of
six items (This advertisement… caused a positive impres-
sion;… showed something important;… is reliable;… is
overdone [inverted item];… is visually beautiful), measured
on a five-point scale anchored by 1 = Strongly disagree and
Fig. 1  Stimulus with the new brand
Increasing purchasing intention of eco‑efficient products: the role of the advertising…
Fig. 2  Stimulus with brand extension
5 = Strongly agree. This procedure was necessary to avoid
having the study results influenced by differences in per-
ceived quality between the stimuli.
We also looked at how appropriate the brand was for
launching a new light bulb. This last control was used to
measure the level of rejection of the brand. Even if an unrec-
ognized brand was being used, we did not want it to have a
high rejection level. This variable was measured by an item
(I believe this brand is not suitable for an economic light
bulb) using a 5-point scale anchored by 1 = Strongly disagree
and 5 = Strongly agree. Finally, the intention to purchase the
product (the dependent variable of the study) was estimated
by means of a scale adapted from Wu et al. (2015), presented
in Table 1.
Data collection
Brazilian college students were presented with the experi-
ment stimuli on computers in a laboratory at their school.
In each session, a professor, previously trained for this task,
assisted and monitored his students, telling them that a com-
pany was pondering the launch of a new line of economic
light bulbs and that the students could help by answering
a fairly simple questionnaire concerning the new project.
Student participation in the experiment was not mandatory.
Table 1  Purchase intention measurement scale. Source: Adapted from Wu et al. (2015)
Code Item
IC1 How favorable are you to buying the advertised product?
IC2 How likely are you to buy the advertised product?
IC3 How sure are you that you will buy the advertised product?
IC4 What are the chances of you buying the advertised product?
Results
A sample of 109 undergraduate students participated in the
first experiment, including 62 (56.9%) men. The sample’s
mean age was 23.1 years (SD = 3.6). Exposure to stimuli
was relatively balanced, as 53 (48.6%) participants assessed
the light bulb advertisement with the brand extension, while
the other 56 (51.4%) rated the light bulb advertisement with
the new brand. The manipulation of brand recognition was
appropriate, since there was a significant difference in brand
recognition in the experimental groups (Mbrand extension = 4.35
and Mnew brand = 1.63; t(105) = 21.11; p < .01).
The aggregate score for the advertisement quality scale
items was used due to the favorable results of the exploratory
factor analysis (EFA) performed a priori. The EFA, con-
ducted through principal component analysis and varimax
orthogonal rotation, produced a high, very reliable eigen-
value factor (α = .881, average variance extracted
[AVE] = .974), which explained 68.6% of the total variance,
and the factor solution had KMO = .736 and a significant
result of Bartlett’s sphericity test at the level of 1%
( 𝜒(15)
2
 = 556.18, p < .01).
The perceived quality of the advertisement did
not show a significant difference between the experi-
mental groups (M extension brand advertisement  = 4.47 and
Mnew brand advertisement = 4.49; t(107) = .858; p > .10). Therefore,
it is possible that the perceived quality of the advertisements
did not influence the results of the first study. Likewise, there
is no significant difference between the levels of adequacy of
brand use for the chosen product category (MSamsung = 4.06
and MÓrion = 3.93, t(107) = 2.97, p < .05).
Finally, the respondents’ purchase intention was analyzed.
The EFA indicated that the aggregation of the score of the
scale items as a measure of the dependent variable was ade-
quate because the first extracted factor explained the most
variance (KMO = 0.793; Bartlett: 𝜒(6) 2
 = 149.94; p < .01;
α = .823; AVE = .902 and explained variance = 65.44%).
Student’s t test for independent samples showed that there
was a significant difference between the students’ purchase
intention for the extended brand light bulb advertisement
(M = 5.22) compared with that of the students who evaluated
the advertisement for the brand new light bulb (M = 2.85,
t(107) = 13.55, p < .01).
Lower anchor Upper anchor
1—Not at all favorable 7—Very favorable
1—Not at all likely 7—Very likely
1—Not certain 7—Very sure
1—No chance 7—High chance

Discussion of the results of Study 1
As expected, also in the case of EP advertisements,
extended-label advertising had a greater effect on pur-
chase intention than brand new advertising did. This effect
corroborates previous studies, showing that brand names
increase consumers’ behavioral intentions (Aaker and Kel-
ler 1990; Macinnis et al. 2014). In fact, it is not a new
finding in marketing research that recognized successful
brands have a strong influence on the purchase decision
process, given the large number of products launched
annually using a brand or line extension strategy.
Even on an equal footing, a recognized brand is a major
differentiator in an advertising campaign. However, the
marketing literature evokes other factors to be considered
along with brand use in integrated marketing communi-
cation. One is the advertising communication strategy
itself. In this study, we employed a strategy known as
informative discourse (Aaker et al. 1986; Johar and Sirgy
1991). However, other communication strategies could
be applied. We also investigated how the choice of other
communication strategies would interfere in the decision
process for purchasing EPs. This decision was motivated
by the suspicion that the decision-making process for buy-
ing EP differs from non-eco-efficient products given the
emotional (rather than rational) appeal that these products
may arouse in consumers (Lee 2017).
It is becoming increasingly clear that sustainable devel-
opment is not a remote future concern (Charter and Tisch-
ner 2017), but rather a problem that must be faced today
in order to avoid critical situations in the future (Testa
et al. 2015). With this in mind, it is possible that consum-
ers, in addition to assessing the technical attributes of the
EP in question, are influenced by the intrinsic emotional
calls (Tukker 2015; Scheepens et al. 2016) for this type
of product.
The influence of emotional aspects on the behavioral
variables of consumers has already been identified (see, for
example, Harms and Linton 2016). However, it is important
to understand how the strategies of advertising communi-
cation can influence this process. These strategies can be
divided into informational appeals and motivating stimuli
of an emotional order (Aaker et al. 1986; France et al. 1994;
Geuens and De Pelsmacker 1998). Informational resources
(informational discourse) inform consumers of the key bene-
fits of the advertised product/brand, while emotional appeals
are intended to evoke feelings or emotions in consumers
(Aaker and Keller 1990; Johar and Sirgy 1991).
Klein and Melnyk (2016) identified that more hedonic
arguments (used in advertising messages that use positive
and negative emotional discourse) improve the evaluation of
hedonic products but not of utilities. However, the authors
also found that utilitarian arguments (used in advertising
E. L. Lopes, R. T. Veiga
messages that make use of informative discourse) do not
affect the evaluation of utilitarian products.
Considering that most EPs are utilitarian (Allais, Reyes
and Roucoules 2015), one might imagine that emotional
discourses would not influence consumers’ intention to buy.
On the other hand, several studies indicate the persua-
sive effect of positive feelings in advertising (Aaker et al.
1986; Geuens and De Pelsmacker 1998). Positive emotional
appeals (positive emotional discourse) generate interest in
the advertisement, reduce irritation, and lead to positive
judgments of the advertised message, thus enhancing the
purchase intention of the promoted product.
Studies have shown that positive emotional discourse
evokes positive affect in response to advertising and may
result in positive influences on behavioral responses (Petty
et al. 1991). On the other hand, by eliciting negative affect,
negative emotional discourse weakens advertisement evalu-
ations (France et al. 1994). Particularly in the case of con-
sumer products, studies exploring negative feelings in adver-
tising, such as annoyance or disgust, have detected negative
behavioral effects (De Pelsmacker and Van Den Bergh 1996;
Dens et al. 2008). Negative emotional discourse in advertis-
ing is often used to draw attention to the message and induce
persuasion based on the advertisement’s message (Shehryar
and Hunt 2005).
In this case, the evaluation of the new product or brand
will mainly be based on the advertisement. Therefore, it is
expected that when consumers are introduced to a new EP
(or new EP brand), even if they are motivated to learn about
the product and its resources, they need stronger “clues” to
make an evaluation. Thus, even if an informational resource
is available and this information is recognized as positive,
the emotional discourse will influence the intention to con-
sume the product in a more intense way. Thus, we arrived at
the following hypothesis:
Hypothesis 3  A consumer’s purchase intention for a new
EP is stronger if the advertisement employs emotional dis-
course rather than informative discourse.
To test Hypotheses 2 and 3, we designed the second
experiment, described as follows.
Study 2: the role of advertising communication
strategies
This study aimed to gauge the effect of different advertising
communication strategies (informative discourse, positive
emotional discourse, and negative emotional discourse) on
the purchase intention of an EP. To do so, we performed a
3 × 2 experiment (three advertising communication strate-
gies [informative, positive emotional, and negative emo-
tional discourses]) versus two regulatory foci [prevention
Increasing purchasing intention of eco‑efficient products: the role of the advertising…

and promotion] by means of a complete factorial between-

subjects design. Furthermore, in this study, we manipulated
the advertisement of an energy-saving light bulb.

Stimulus

Three different advertisements concerning the launch of a

new energy-efficient light bulb were designed. The energy-
efficient light bulb image was the same for all three adver-
tisements. The one that used informative discourse was
the same advertisement used in Experiment 1, but without
presenting any brand. Moreover, the advertisement slogan
was substituted with “Energy-efficient light bulb: The future
starts now.” The advertisement using positive emotional dis-
course featured a couple and their assumed child in a green
field on a sunny day. On the left side, there was a photograph
of the energy-efficient light bulb with the following message:
“Use energy-efficient light bulbs to guarantee the future for
those you love!” just before the anchoring slogan (“Energy-
efficient light bulbs: The future starts now”). Finally, the
third advertisement, which used negative emotional dis-
course, featured a polluted city where it was possible to
see large emissions of smoke and a river with very murky
waters. On the left, just below the photograph of the bulb,
we placed a different message (“Not using energy-efficient
light bulbs damages the environment and the future of the
planet!”) before the same anchoring slogan of the two other
advertisements, which completed the text.
The stimuli with the strategies of informative, positive
emotional, and negative emotional discourses are presented
(written in Portuguese) in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, respectively.
Measures
The manipulation was checked by comparing the means
of the scores of three items (MC1—“The advertisement
presents a negative scenario for the future of the planet”;
Fig. 4  Stimulus with positive emotional propaganda
MC2—“The advertisement presents a positive scenario for
the future of the planet”; and MC3—“The advertisement
presents information about the product”). We employed
the scale of Lockwood et al. (2002), composed of 10 items
(five items to measure promotion regulatory focus and five
others to estimate prevention regulatory focus) to measure
the participants’ regulatory focus. As in the first study, the
dependent variable was purchase intention, measured with
the adapted scale of Wu et al. (2015). With minor adapta-
tions, the data collection procedure was similar to that used
previously.
Results
The sample comprised 130 Brazilian undergradu-
ates (67 = 51.5% men), whose mean age was 21.8 years
(SD = 2.8). The experimental groups had the following
numbers of subjects: 40 (30.7%) participants analyzed
advertising with positive emotional communication (PC),
44 (33.8%) evaluated advertising with negative emotional

Fig. 3  Stimulus with advertisement with informative discourse Fig. 5  Stimulus with negative emotional propaganda
 E. L. Lopes, R. T. Veiga

communication (NE), and 46 participants were exposed to The results showed that there was a significant difference
the advertisement with informative discourse (ID). in purchase intention for individuals with a prevention focus,
The manipulation check revealed that the stimuli were depending on the type of advertisement to which they were
appropriate because, as shown in Table 2, significant differ- exposed (F(2,46) = 8.946, p < .01). Post hoc tests revealed
ences in the expected directions were observed in the scores that the negative emotional communication strategy led to
for the advertising pieces. For this analysis, we compared the stronger purchase intention (M = 5.64) compared with the
means via ANOVA with Scheffe’s post hoc test. strategy of positive emotional discourse (M = 4.33, p < .10)
As expected, EFA of the items for the regulatory focus and the strategy of informative discourse (M = 3.45, p < .01).
measurement scale revealed two factors (KMO = .788, Bar- Likewise, there was a significant difference in purchase
tlett = 𝜒(45)
2
 = 446.11, p < .01), explaining 61.5% of the total intention for promotion-focused individuals, depending on
sample variance and grouping the items as theoretically pre- the communication strategy used (F(2.82) = 40.269, p < .01).
dicted, with good internal reliability (αPromotion = .832; The post hoc test showed that the positive emotional com-
AVE = .888 and αPrevention = .704; AVE = .940). The respond- munication strategy resulted in stronger purchase intention
ents were classified according to the two profiles (promotion for this group (M = 6.10) compared with the results for the
or prevention) following the difference between the aggre- other communication strategies (M negative emotional = 2.98
gate scores of the factors (we used the average of the five and Minformative discourse = 3.51, both with p < .01). In the
affirmative items on the prevention profile scale reduced advertising with informative discourse, the analyses did
from the five affirmative items on the promotion profile not reveal a significant difference in purchase intention
scale, resulting in M = 1.05, SD = .743, minimum = − 0.60 for the two groups of subjects with different regulation
and maximum = + 2.80). Thus, the sample consisted of 47 foci (Mprevention = 3.46 and Mpromotion = 3.51; F(45,1) = .021;
(36.2%) prevention-focused individuals and 83 (63.8%) p > .866). Figure 6 compares the group averages for pur-
promotion-focused individuals. chase intention.
Finally, the EFA of the purchase intention measurement
items revealed only one factor (α = .787), explaining 56.2% Discussion of the results of Study 2
of the total variance of the sample, as well as adequate indi-
cators for the factor solution (KMO = .878; Bart- Broadly speaking, Study 2 showed both the effect of adver-
lett = 𝜒(6)
2
 = 56.117, p < .01). Based on this result, the aggre- tising communication strategies (informational, positive
gate score for the items related to purchase intention was emotional, and negative emotional) and the effect of regula-
used as the dependent variable in further analyses. tory focus on the purchase intention of an EP. We found that
The univariate general linear model (GLM) analysis informative discourse resulted in mild purchase intention
detected a significant main effect of the communication regardless of the profile of the experimental subject. Thus,
advertising strategy (F(2.130) = 13.863, p < .01; η2 = .183) and appeals to cognitive rationality did not appear to increase the
a significant main effect for regulatory focus (F(1.130) = 1.121, probability of purchase in this context.
p > .292, η2 = .009). As predicted, we also found an inter- On the other hand, emotional discourses were more effec-
action effect between the communication strategy and the tive in encouraging the purchase intention of an EP. Over-
individual’s regulatory focus (F (2,130) = 24.751, p < .01, all, the best appraisal was observed for positive emotional
η2 = .285). discourse. A post hoc test (ANOVA with Scheffe’s post hoc
test) indicated that positive emotional discourse (M = 5.52)
generated greater purchase intention than negative emotional
discourse (M = 4.19; p < .01), and informative discourse
Table 2  Manipulation checking of advertisements (M = 3.49). Furthermore, there is no significant difference
Variable Advertisement assessed n Mean SD Sig. between the latter two (p > .13). However, for individuals
with a prevention regulatory focus, negative emotional dis-
MC1 Positive emotional 40 1.45 .504 a
course was more effective.
Informative discourse 46 1.46 .673 b
Among the promotion-focused subjects, we observed a
Negative emotional 44 4.18 .815 c
strong and favorable difference in purchase intention when
MC2 Positive emotional 40 3.43 .984 c
positive emotions were elicited instead of negative emotions.
Informative discourse 46 1.98 .830 a
Thus, we recommend the use of positive emotional discourse
Negative emotional 44 2.07 .818 b
in mass communication campaigns.
MC3 Positive emotional 40 1.95 .783 a
The results of Study 2 should be regarded as valid in a
Informative discourse 46 3.09 .932 c
context of general communication campaigns in which only
Negative emotional 44 2.07 .789 b
the product category is evidenced. In this scenario, the lack
Sig.: a → c = p < .01; b → c = p < .01; b → a = p > .10 = not significant of a legal endorser or brand may lead to a different result
Increasing purchasing intention of eco‑efficient products: the role of the advertising…
Fig. 6  Effect of regulatory focus
and communication strategy on
purchase intention
Purchase inten
on
3.51
Informa
ve discourse Posi
ve emo
onal Nega
ve emo
onal
on focus Preven
on focus
from what would be observed if the scenario had one of
these elements for consumer assessment—especially if the
brand were familiar to the target, which is typical in a brand
extension strategy.
Knowledge of the brand influences the evaluation and
effect of advertising strategies on attitudes toward the prod-
uct (Stammerjohan et al. 2005). Several studies have exam-
ined the effects of brand familiarity in response to stimuli
(see, for example, Campbell and Keller 2003), showing that
high familiarity limits the effectiveness of advertising (Stam-
merjohan et al. 2005). Highly familiar brands are associated
with well-established and relatively stable attitudes, which
are not affected by a single advertisement (Derbaix 1995;
Stammerjohan et al. 2005). This is because individuals are
more susceptible to prior opinions than they are influenced
by new information (Derbaix 1995; Weilbacher 2003; Stam-
merjohan et al. 2005; Dens et al. 2008).
When a new product of a highly recognized brand is sold,
consumers are expected to apply their preexisting attitudes
to the extension. Faced with an assessment task, individuals
initially attempt to classify the object into a given category.
If the classification is successful, affect associated with the
category will be transferred to the classified object (Fiske
and Pavelchak 1986). In the case of highly familiar brands,
the brand name can serve as a “clue” for categorization.
Gielens and Steenkamp (2007) argued that when the name
of a brand is associated with a strong reputation for high
quality, this attribute will be extended to a new product for
which the qualities are not evaluable before consumption,
since individuals assume that the product extension is also
of high quality.
Research on evaluating extensions has often pointed out
that the perceived quality of the original brand is a crucial
factor in the evaluation of the new product because consumers
often believe that the extension has the typical attributes of the
original brand or offers the same benefits (Aaker and Keller
1990; Nan 2006). Thus, consumers will rely less on advertis-
ing to form an opinion on the extension and, consequently,
the advertising strategy will not strongly affect the assessment
of the extension. On the other hand, research has shown that
for a new brand, classic conditioning and direct transference
6.10
5.64
4.33
3.46
2.98
Promo
of affect explain the strong link between the feelings evoked
by the advertisement and the assessment of the related brand
(Gresham and Shimp 1985; Homer 2006).
As consumers are, by definition, unfamiliar with a new
brand, they have no prior knowledge or recollection of the new
brand’s attributes, and therefore, the influence of advertising
communication will be stronger.
Hypothesis 4  A new brand (vs. brand extension) will (vs.
will not) influence the effect of advertising on a consumer’s
purchase intention; thus, (…)
Hypothesis 4a  Positive emotional communication will
increase the purchase intention for individuals with a pro-
motion focus.
Hypothesis 4b  Negative emotional communication will
increase the purchase intention for individuals with a pre-
vention focus.
Knowing that individuals with a prevention regulatory
focus are more sensitive to risk perception (Pham and Chang
2010), it is reasonable to assume that they will cling to any
type of information, which could make assessment easier due
to the lower uncertainty. Therefore:
Hypothesis 5  The purchase intention for prevention-
focused individuals will be higher than the purchase inten-
tion for promotion-focused individuals when advertisements
use informative discourse.
To test Hypotheses 4 and 5, we conducted a third
experiment.
Study 3: the effect of advertising communication
strategies and the mediating role of the brand
extension strategy
This study aimed to test the effect of brand extension strat-
egy, different advertising communication strategies (inform-
ative discourse, positive emotional discourse, and negative
 E. L. Lopes, R. T. Veiga

emotional discourse) and an individual’s regulatory focus on Table 3  Sample description

his/her purchase intention of an EP. For this purpose, we per- Advertising New brand Extended brand Total
formed a 3 × 2 × 2 experiment (three strategies of advertising
communication [negative emotional, positive emotional, and Emotional positive 39 33 72
informational discourse]) versus two brands [extended brand Emotional negative 27 29 56
and invented brand] versus two regulatory foci [prevention Informative 44 38 82
and promotion] by means of a complete factorial between- Total 110 100 210
subjects design. As in Study 2, we manipulated the advertis-
ing of an energy-efficient light bulb.
Table 4  Manipulation check of advertisements
Variable Advertisement assessed n Mean SD Sig.
Stimulus
MC1 Positive emotional 72 2.04 .813 a
Based on the three advertisements used in Study 2, we cre- Informative discourse 82 1.93 .813 b
ated six different advertisements for the launch of a new Negative emotional 56 4.02 .820 c
energy-efficient light bulb, three with an extended brand and MC2 Positive emotional 72 4.03 .804 c
the other three with a fake brand. We present the stimuli Informative discourse 56 1.61 .493 a
associated with the strategies of informative, positive emo- Negative emotional 82 3.49 .946 b
tional, and negative emotional discourses in the context of MC3 Positive emotional 72 2.00 .856 a
brand extension and of a new brand in “Appendix” section. Informative discourse 56 2.13 .788 b
Negative emotional 82 2.50 1.080 c, d, e

Measures and procedures for data collection Sig.: a → c = p < .01; b → c = p < .01; a → d = p < .10; b → d = p < .10;

The scales for the measurement of regulatory focus, brand
recognition, brand suitability for use in energy-efficient light
bulbs, and purchase intention of a previously used EP were
adopted, and the data collection and control procedures were
the same.
Results
A sample of 210 Brazilian undergraduates (114 men; 54.3%)
took part in the third experiment. Their mean age was
22.3 years (SD = 2.69).
The experimental groups were of similar sizes: 72
(34.3%) students were submitted to emotional positive
communication (PC), 56 (26.8%) appraised emotional nega-
tive communication (EN) advertisements, and another 82
(39.0%) participants were exposed to advertisements with
informative discourse (ID). Overall, 100 subjects (47.6%)
assessed the extended brand (47.6%), while 110 individuals
(52.4%) appraised the new brand (Table 3).
A check of the manipulation revealed that the stimuli
were appropriate since, as shown in Table 4, significant
differences in the expected direction were observed in the
assessments of the advertising pieces. For this analysis,
we compared the means via ANOVA with Scheffe’s post
hoc test.
Likewise, the brand-manipulation check showed a sig-
nificant difference between recognition of the extended
brand (MSamsung = 3.94) and the new brand (MÓrion = 1.50;
t (208) = 26.67; p < .01). In addition, the results showed
b → a = p > .10 = NS
equivalent scores for the suitability of both brands used
for the energy-efficient light bulb—the real and the fake
brands (MSamsung = 3.92 and MÓrion = 3.98; t(208) = 0.572;
p > 0.568 = ns).
As expected, the EFA of the items on the regulatory
focus measurement scale revealed two factors with good
internal consistency (α Promotion = .783; AVE = .822 and
α Prevention  = .698; AVE = .863, KMO = .701, Bart-
lett = 𝜒(88)
2
 = 1356.32, p < .01), explaining 51.11% of the
total sample variance and grouping the items as theoreti-
cally predicted.
The respondents were classified according to two cat-
egories (promotion or prevention-focused individuals)
based on the difference between the factors (M = 1.66,
SD = .583, minimum = − .94 and maximum = + 3.6).
Accordingly, the sample comprised 79 (37.6%) individu-
als with prevention regulatory focus and 131 individuals
(62.4%) with promotion regulatory focus. Finally, the
EFA of the purchase intention measurement items identi-
fied only one factor (α = .888 and E = .967), explaining
63.7% of the total variance of the sample, as well as ade-
quate indicators for the factorial solution (KMO = .899;
Bartlett = 𝜒(6)2
 = 102.94, p < .01). In view of these results,
the aggregate score for the items related to purchase
intention was used as the dependent variable in further
analyses.
The univariate GLM analysis detected a main effect
for the communication strategy used in advertising
Increasing purchasing intention of eco‑efficient products: the role of the advertising…

(F (2,210)  = 21.064, p < .01; η 2  = .147). The results also
indicated a main effect for brand (F (1.210)  = 24.848;
p < .01; η 2  = .112), a main effect for the regulatory
focus (F (1,210) = 19.761, p < .01, η 2 = .075), and a triple
interaction effect among the variables (F (2,210) = 6.143;
η 2 = .058). Furthermore, there were interaction effects
between all pairs of variables, as shown in Table 5.
Discussion of the results of Study 3
As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, which graphically depict the
results of this study, a brand extension enhances the inten-
tion to purchase an EP in most of the compared scenarios,
whereas the advertisement that used a new brand obtained
the same results as in Study 2, in which no brand was pre-
sented. The evaluation of the new brand, taking the adver-
tisements into account, resulted in higher purchase intention
for individuals with a prevention focus when they analyzed
advertisements using negative emotional communication.
Higher purchase intention was also observed for promotion-
focused individuals when exposed to a positive emotional
communication strategy.
Corroborating the results of Study 2, the communication
strategy of informative discourse aroused a moderate level of
purchase intention, regardless of the profile of the respond-
ents. Similarly, confirming the findings of Study 2, positive
emotional discourse, on average, led to a higher intention to
purchase an EP.
On the other hand, in the context of brand extension, the
strategy of using informational discourse elicited higher
purchase intention in the group of prevention-focused
individuals than in the promotion-focused individuals
(Mprevention = 5.91 and Mpromotion = 3.47; t(36) = 5.859, p < .01).
However, in the group of prevention-focused participants,
the use of informational discourse caused the same level
of purchase intention as the negative emotional discourse

Table 5  Output of data analysis (Study 3)

Dependent variable: purchase intention Sum of Degrees of Mean square F Sig. η2
squares (type freedom
III)

Corrected model 362.077 (a) 11 32.916 26.649 < .001 .597

Intercept 3923.956 1 3923.956 3176.847 < .001 .941
Brand main effect 30.691 1 30.691 24.848 < .001 .112
Advertisement main effect 42.129 2 21.064 17.054 < .001 .147
Regulatory focus main effect 19.761 1 19.761 15.998 < .001 .075
Interaction effect between brand × advertisement 7.093 2 3.547 2.871 .059 .028
Interaction effect between brand × regulatory focus 15.465 1 15.465 12.521 .001 .059
Interaction main effect between advertisement × regulatory focus 201.072 2 100.536 81.394 < .001 .451
Interaction main effect among brand × advertisement × regulatory focus 15.175 2 7.587 6.143 .003 .058
Error 244.564 198 1.235
Total 4809.115 210
Total corrected 606.642 209

(a) R2adj = .574

Fig. 7  Purchase intention for a Brand extension

brand extension 7
6.42 6.36
5.91
6
Purchase intention

5
4.29
4 3.47
3.11
3

1
Informative discourse Positive emotional Negative emotional

Promotion focus Prevention focus


Fig. 8  Purchase intention for a
new brand 7
6
Purchae intention
5
4 3.49
3 2.78
1
Informative discourse
(M = 6.36; t(22) = 1.095; p > .286). For this group, a brand
extension strengthened the original purchase intention when
the negative emotional communication strategy was used
(Mextended brand = 5.20 and Mnew brand = 6.36; t(24) = 3.245;
p < .05). However, brand extension did not increase purchase
intention in the scenario of positive emotional communica-
tion (Mextended brand = 4.29 and Mnew brand = 3.92; t(26) = .739;
p > .467 = n.s.).
To verify Hypotheses 4 and 5, we analyzed the media-
tor effect of the advertising communication strategy and the
moderating effect of the individual’s regulatory focus on the
relationship between brands and purchase intention. A con-
ditional model analysis was performed, as recommended by
Hayes (2009), with the use of the PROCESS macro. Accord-
ing to Hayes (2009, 2013), the PROCESS macro aims to
analyze the conditional processes through which one vari-
able influences another. Such processes combine the use of
mediation and moderation together in moderated mediation
or mediated moderation models. Moreover, the macro allows
the use of categorical or continuous variables (Hayes 2009;
Hayes and Scharkow 2013).
Given the nature of the experimental variables and their
expected theoretical relationships, we used Model 14 of this
macro. The independent variable used was a dummy for the
brand extension strategy (0 = brand new and 1 = extended
brand). The mediator variable was also a dummy for the
promotional communication strategy (1 = positive emotional
communication, 2 = negative emotional communication, and
3 = informative). The moderator variable was the respond-
ent’s regulatory focus (0 = prevention and 1 = promotion).
Finally, the dependent variable was the intention to purchase
an EP. The generic model is shown in Fig. 9.
In a preliminary analysis, we examined the mediating
effect of the advertising communication strategy on the rela-
tionship between the brand extension strategy and the EP
purchase intention. For this purpose, we employed Model
4 of the PROCESS macro (simple mediation). As shown
in Fig. 10, the results indicated a direct and positive effect
of the brand on purchase intention (β = .603, 95% IC [.183;
E. L. Lopes, R. T. Veiga
New brand
6.04
5.20
3.92
3.41
Positive emotional Negative emotional
Promotion focus Prevention focus
1.023]; t(208) = 2.828, p < .01). As predicted, we also detected
the negative and direct effect of the advertising strategy on
purchase intention (β = − .787, 95% IC [− 1.032; − 0.541];
t(208) = − 6.320, p < .001). However, no mediation effect was
observed, since the relationship between brand and advertis-
ing strategy was not significant (β = .005, 95% IC [− .229;
.239]; t(208) < 1, p > .10).
Finally, with the use of Model 14 of the PROCESS
macro, we analyzed the moderating effect of regulatory
focus on the relationship between the adopted advertising
strategy and the purchase intention of the EP. The results
are shown in Fig. 11.
Both a significant positive relationship between brand
and purchase intention (β = .605, 95% IC [.225; .985],
t(208) = 3.138, p < .01) and a negative relationship between
advertising strategy and purchase intention (β = − .722,
95% CI [− .945; − .499], t (208) = − 6.381, p < .01) were
supported. Additionally, we verified that regulatory
focus had a strong (negative) moderation effect on the
relationship between communication strategy and pur-
chase intention (β = − 1.572, 95% CI [− 2.039; − 1.104],
t(208) = − 6.624, p < .001).
Thus, it seems that the more prevention focused an
individual is, the more the communication strategy affects
his/her purchase intention. In addition, considering the
combined results of the two tested models, we found that
Mediator Moderator
Independent Dependent
Variable Variable
Fig. 9  Model 14 process
Increasing purchasing intention of eco‑efficient products: the role of the advertising…

Fig. 10  Results of the initial

mediation model Communication
strategy
1=PC, 2=NE e 3=ID
n.s. β = -.787***.
β= .005
(-6.320)
(.038)

β = .603**
Brand (2.828) R2= .188
0=New Purchase intention
1=Extention

*p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001; n.s.= not significant

Fig. 11  Results of the moder-

ated mediation model Communication
strategy
1=PC, 2=NE e 3=ID
n.s. β = - .722**.
β= .005
(-6.381)
( .038)

β = .605**
Brand (3.138) R2= .343
0=New
1=Extention
Purchase intention
β = - .482*.
(-2.412)

Regulatory Focus
0=Prevention
1=Promotion
β = -1.572***.
(-6.624)

Communication
strategy
X
Regulatory Focus

*p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001; n.s.=not significant

the positive emotional strategy had the greatest effect on
the purchase intention of an EP.
General discussion and final considerations
With 449 undergraduates as experimental subjects, we car-
ried out three complementary experiments to investigate the
relationships between advertising communication strategy,
branding strategy, and purchase intention of an eco-efficient
product (EP). In the first study, we found that a known brand
used in an extended product had a greater effect on the pur-
chase intention of an EP than a new brand did.
In the second study, we confirmed the larger overall
effect of a positive emotional advertisement on purchase
intention and a mild effect of informative discourse. In this
study, two results concerning the effect of the emotional
approach in communication were shown: (1) for the pre-
vention-focused individual, the negative promotional com-
munication strategy had the greatest effect on purchase
intention, and (2) for the promotion-focused individual,

the greatest effect was found when the positive emotional
strategy was employed.
Finally, in Study 3, the results of the first study were cor-
roborated. We also verified the effect of an extended brand
on the evaluation of prevention-focused individuals in all
communication strategies, especially when informative
discourse is used as a persuasive argument. The results of
the third study showed that a new brand does not seem to
increase the purchase intention of an EP. Even without con-
trolling for consumer perceptions of the price of the product,
we can assume that the new brand does not reduce the per-
ceived financial risk of the purchase of a category of product
that, in general, is more expensive.
Apparently, for prevention-focused consumers, an
extended brand, by reducing uncertainty, has more effect
on the purchase intention of the advertised product. How-
ever, this does not apply when a new brand is considered in
the context of promotion-focused communication. We also
verified the direct effect of the advertising communication
strategy on the purchase intention of an EP and the moderat-
ing effect of the consumer’s regulatory focus in this relation-
ship. Even if there is no empirical evidence on the mediat-
ing effect of the communication strategy on the relationship
between brand strategy and purchase intention, individuals
with a prevention regulatory focus were found to be the ones
most affected by the adopted communication strategy.
Thus, we recommend that marketing managers for EPs
take advantage of their brands if they are known. In par-
ticular, they should employ a brand extension strategy with
the aim of enhancing consumer interest, especially in the
promotion of new products in mass media. In such a con-
text, when the task of segmentation is difficult, they should
choose the strategy of positive emotional communication.
However, when audience segmentation is feasible, the use
of negative emotional communication should be preferred
when targeting people with a focus on prevention.
Previous studies have already identified the effect of
brand extensions (vs. new brand) on behavioral intent
(e.g., Aaker and Keller 1990; Lai 2006; Dens et al. 2008)
in the same way as the effect of the different advertis-
ing strategies (De Pelsmacker and Van Den Bergh 1996;
E. L. Lopes, R. T. Veiga
Shehryar and Hunt 2005; Dens et  al. 2008) and the
results stimulated in different consumer profiles (Higgins
1997; Higgins et al. 2001; Pham and Avnet 2004; Zhao
and Pechmann 2007). Adding to these studies, our main
theoretical contribution is the identification of the effects
(mediator) of the strategy of promotional communication
and (moderator) of the regulatory focus in the purchasing
decision process of an EP. Thus, this paper contributes to
the literature on brand management because it identifies
the relationships between the profile of consumers and
the communication strategy adopted in advertising for
new brands and extended brands. In particular, the results
of the third experiment indicate a) the best practices for
brand managers and b) for the literature, the mental pro-
cesses that guide behavioral intention in the scenarios in
question.
The use of advertisements with the same EP is one of
the limitations of this study. Another limitation is the use
of students as experimental subjects, even though we do
not suspect that the results were biased by the samples
used, since several previous studies have already con-
cluded that university students are sensitive to current
environmental risks (e.g., Clugston and Calder 1999; Bis-
was 2012; Lin 2017) and are therefore suitable for studies
on eco-efficient products (Aurandt and Butler 2011; Ueda
and Terauchi 2017). Nevertheless, for greater external
validity, we suggest variations in further experiments, such
as the use of consumer panels and other (categories of)
products. Finally, we did not control for the level of envi-
ronmental awareness of the participants. Even though the
studies were conducted with a complete factorial design
with randomization of stimuli and, through this method,
the effects of a possible difference among exogenous vari-
ables are ruled out (Wright et al. 2015), we suggest con-
trolling for this variable in future studies.
Despite its limitations, we believe that this study not
only makes a theoretical contribution to understanding the
effects of different advertising communication strategies
but also stimulates further investigation of this complex
topic.
Increasing purchasing intention of eco‑efficient products: the role of the advertising…
Appendix: stimuli of experiment 3
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Publisher’s Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to
jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Evandro Luiz Lopes  holds a B.A. in Mathematics, Master in Business
Administration and Doctor of Business Administration from the Gradu-
ate Program in Business Administration from the University Nove de
Julho where he serves as Professor of Marketing ministering the dis-
ciplines of Consumer Behavior, Strategic Marketing Management in
Retail Chain and Strategic Management Marketing and Quantitative
Methods. Coordinates research project funded by CNPq (National
Council for Scientific and Technological Development) besides acting
as an evaluator for renowned journals. His research interests are con-
centrated twofold: marketing strategies and consumer behavior. He is
also professor of marketing at the Universidade Federal de São Paulo.
Ricardo Teixeira Veiga  is graduate at Computer Science from Federal
University of Minas Gerais (1987), Master in Science at Administration
from Federal University of Minas Gerais (1993) and Ph.D. at Adminis-
tration from the same University (2000). Has experience in Administra-
tion, focusing on Marketing, acting on the following subjects: quality,
experiments, attitude and motivation.