Anthropomorphic brands are more eco-friendly? The impact of anthropomorphic communication on green consumption tendency

doi:10.3724/SP.J.1041.2025.0720

Abstract

Abstract:

An increasing number of enterprises are adopting brand anthropomorphic communication as a strategy to promote green consumption tendency. Drawing on the learned evaluability theory, this study investigates the mechanisms and boundary conditions through which brand anthropomorphic communication influences green consumption tendency. A series of four experiments were conducted. Experiment 1 demonstrates that brand anthropomorphic communication significantly enhances green consumption tendency, establishing a complete causal chain from anthropomorphic communication to learned evaluability, environmental value sensitivity, and ultimately green consumption tendency. Experiment 2 delineates the boundary of the main effect, revealing that the effect is more pronounced in the context of green brands compared to non-green brands, thereby reaffirming the theoretical logic of the main effect. Experiment 3 examines the moderating role of consumer motivation type (egoistic vs. altruistic). The results indicate that when altruistic motivation is activated, brand anthropomorphic communication significantly promotes green consumption tendency; however, when egoistic motivation is activated, anthropomorphic communication has no significant effect. Experiment 4 validates the moderating effect of product type (search products vs. experience products). The findings show that brand anthropomorphic communication significantly enhances green consumption tendency for search products but not for experience products. This study extends the literature on brand anthropomorphic communication and green consumption, offering valuable insights for both theory and practice.

Key words: brand anthropomorphic communication, green consumption tendency, environmental value sensitivity, learned evaluability theory

FENG Wenting, XUE Shuyun, WANG Tao. (2025). Anthropomorphic brands are more eco-friendly? The impact of anthropomorphic communication on green consumption tendency. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 57(4), 720-738.

Figures/Tables 12

Figure 1. The Mechanism of Brand Anthropomorphic Communication’s Impact on Green Consumption Tendency.

Figure 2. Mediation Analysis of Environmental Value Sensitivity in Experiment 1.

Figure 3. Chain Mediation Analysis of Learned Evaluability and Environmental Value Sensitivity in Experiment 1.

Figure 4. Interaction of Brand Communication Type and Consumption Context on Consumption Tendency in Experiment 2.

Figure 5. Interaction of Brand Communication Type and Consumption Context on Environmental Value Sensitivity in Experiment 2.

Figure 6. Moderated Mediation Analysis in Experiment 2.

Figure 7. Interaction of Brand Communication Type and Motivation Type on Green Consumption Tendency in Experiment 3.

Figure 8. Interaction of Brand Communication Type and Motivation Type on Environmental Value Sensitivity in Experiment 3.

Figure 9. Moderated Mediation Analysis in Experiment 3.

Figure 10. Interaction of Brand Communication Type and Product Type on Green Consumption Tendency in Experiment 4.

Figure 11. Interaction of Brand Communication Type and Product Type on Environmental Value Sensitivity in Experiment 4.

Figure 12. Moderated Mediation Analysis in Experiment 4.

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