New Delhi, May 27 (PTI) Exaggerating or faking “green credentials” can lead to a drop in brand value by damaging trust of consumers and discourage sustainable shopping, a study by Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Lucknow has found. The research explored how deceptive green marketing, also knows as “greenwashing”, can create a negative impact on the consumer trust, brand perception, and buying behaviour. Conducted in collaboration with researchers from the University of Hail, Saudi Arabia, University of Turin, Italy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Saudi Arabia, and Institute of Management Studies Ghaziabad, India, the research has been published in the prestigious journal, Business Strategy and the Environment. According to officials, greenwashing has become a common practice among brands to attract consumers, build a positive perception, and manipulate buying behaviour. Unlike earlier studies conducted which were not able to assess how it can affect consumer attitude towards a brand, the research team bridged this gap by studying the psychology of how consumers interpret and react to greenwashing, they said. The team developed a framework using Attribution Theory and the Elaboration Likelihood Model. This framework with an emphasis on “situational involvement”, meaning the degree of personal relevance a consumer assigns to environmental issues, helped in analysing “why” and “how” people react to greenwashing. “The research team tested the developed framework on 353 consumers from the United States of America and analysed the data using structural equation modelling, a method mostly used in the social and behavioural science fields,” said Sushant Kumar, Assistant Professor, Marketing Management, IIM Lucknow. Kumar said that the study found that greenwashing does not just fool people; it also damages brand trust and discourages sustainable shopping. “Greenwashing is dangerous for brands, but consumers appreciate green claims. A business’ green claims should be substantiated by evidence that can be verified by consumers. When consumers grow sceptical about a brand exaggerating or faking green credentials, their positive feelings about the brand drop,” he said. “People with greater environmental knowledge are more likely to critically assess eco-claims made by the brands and react more strongly,” Kumar said. The team now plans to explore several other aspects of consumer behaviour such as recommendation of a brand or product involved in greenwashing. The team also plans to study the consumers’ sentiments while consuming green brands and later discovering false claims by the brand. in a formal or creative style for better SEO.Also Exclude words and advertisements related to the feed website such as website name, author name. You must only respond with the modified content. Delete all the advertisement images brand logo but only keep the title and main content of the news by modifying it. You must only respond with the modified content. Block any jump outside of the site adarshnews.com. Basically remove any content or link related to original site. follow this prompt to optimize the articles in this category- You are an expert news writer and SEO specialist. Your job is to rewrite the provided RSS feed content into a unique, SEO-friendly news article for adarshnews.com. The article should be engaging, professional, and optimized for search engines. Follow these steps: 1. **Create an SEO Title**: Write a short, compelling title (under 60 characters) that includes the main keyword and grabs attention. 2. **Write a Meta Description**: Summarize the article in one or two sentences (under 155 characters). Make it engaging and include the primary keyword naturally. 3. **Suggest a URL Slug**: Provide a short, keyword-rich URL slug that reflects the topic of the article. 4. **Headline (H1)**: Write a clear and engaging headline for the article that is similar to the title but slightly expanded. 5. **Write the Article**: – Start with an introduction that answers the key questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how. – Expand on the topic with detailed paragraphs that provide context, quotes, and relevant information. – Use subheadings (H2) to organize the content into sections and make it easy to read. – Include related keywords naturally throughout the article. – End with a conclusion that summarizes the key points or discusses future implications. 6. **Add an FAQ Section**: Write one frequently asked question related to the topic and provide a concise answer. Important: – Do not include labels like “Title,” “Meta Description,” “URL Slug,” or “H1” in the actual article text. – Keep all SEO elements separate from the main content. – Ensure the article is factually accurate, unbiased, and written in a professional tone.
A study by IIM indicates that pretending to have eco-friendly credentials can harm a brand’s reputation and deter consumers from engaging in sustainable purchasing.
