Effects of Brand Anthropomorphism on Green Purchase Intentions: The Moderating Roles of Advertising Appeals and Consumer Relationship Orientation

With the emergence of green consumption as a crucial initiative to address global warming and environmental pollution, promoting the purchase of green products has garnered significant attention. Brand anthropomorphism is an effective strategy for encouraging green product purchasing. However, the mechanisms by which various types of brand anthropomorphism influence green purchase intentions have not been fully revealed, and their boundary conditions have yet to be explored. To address these gaps, this study investigated how different types of brand anthropomorphism (i.e., warmth vs. competence) and advertising appeals (i.e., altruistic vs. egoistic) jointly affect consumers' green purchase intentions. Additionally, this study examined how brand anthropomorphism influences green purchase intentions among consumers with different relationship orientations (i.e., communal‐oriented vs. exchange‐oriented). This research also reveals the mediating roles of green perceived value and green self‐identity. Our findings indicate that when paired with altruistic (egoistic) appeals, warmth (competence) anthropomorphism significantly enhances consumers' green perceived value and green self‐identity, resulting in their increased green purchase intentions. Moreover, for communal (exchange)‐oriented consumers, warmth (competence) anthropomorphism significantly increases consumers' green perceived value and green self‐identity, which also enhance their green purchase intentions. These findings provide new insights into brand anthropomorphism in the field of green marketing.