The Brand Implications of Green Demarketing

Sammanfattning: A significant part of the marketing profession consists of stimulating and expanding the demand for products and services. However, as society’s level of consumption increases at the same time as our resources decrease, the marketer’s role faces an inevitable change if the global environmental goals are to be achieved. In order to adapt and ultimately benefit from this transformation, marketers need further knowledge of new strategies, tools, and methods. Green demarketing is a relatively untested but constantly growing communication strategy that intends to reduce the consumption of a product at the category level and at the same time increase sales at a brand level for the benefit of the environment. The communication strategy thus challenges the traditional sustainability communication, which on the contrary encourages consumers to buy more sustainable products for the benefit of the environment. This study aimed to examine how a green demarketing strategy affects consumer behavior and brand attitudes according to the variables of corporate credibility, word-of-mouth, and purchase intention. The study was conducted using a quantitative method where the respondents were exposed to and allowed to respond to one of two ads designed according to either a green demarketing- or a traditional green advertising strategy. The study found that green demarketing generated significantly greater positive effects on corporate credibility and that the strategy generated a greater organic dispersion via word-of-mouth. In terms of purchase intention, no significant difference could be demonstrated between the two campaign formats. In summary, this study indicates that green demarketing on many levels outperforms traditional sustainability communication and that it has the potential to benefit brand equity in both the short and long term. Based on the results of this study, there is thus evidence for companies to dare to stand out from the crowd and take the environmental issue seriously by encouraging their customers to consume less for the benefit of the environment.