How+Green+Should+You+Be?

__**How Green Should You Be? Can Environmental Associations Enhance Brand Performance? **__
 * by Eric Hudes **

Can environmental associations enhance brand performance? This article begs the question and answers it with a research study that was conducted to investigate the relevance of information about environmental performance to the improvement of attitudes toward a brand. According to the Elaboration Likelihood Model, the study shows that the relationship between environmental associations and attitudes toward a brand are conditioned in part by the product category and the brand itself. As such, the usefulness of environmental associations to improve attitudes toward a brand should not be generalized. The elaboration likelihood model was used in the study in order to measure the amount of change in the attitude of the consumer in two ways, the “central route” which is high consumer involvement and the “peripheral route” which is low involvement.

To evaluate improvement in attitude, 828 adult female shoppers in Spain were tested to see first of all how their opinions toward the brand changed as a consequence of the association of environmental benefits, as well as a result of the incorporation of independent certifications. These women were broken down into three groups. One experimental group was stimulated with information about the brand unrelated to its environmental performance. A second experimental group received the same information as well as information about environmental performance. Finally, to contrast the incremental effect of the incorporation of independent certification on attitude toward the brand, a third experimental group was given the same information as the second group and an independent certification.

On the basis of the ELM, the effect of environmental associations on attitudes toward consumer brands depends on the type of product and the previous relation of the client to the brand. This article demonstrates that these kinds of associations are more useful when the brand is well known by the individual, and when she or he has a high involvement with the purchase decision. This experiment showed that environmental associations do not constitute a universal solution for improvement of attitudes and brand equity, but their potential should be analyzed on an individual basis.

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