Resumen de Pro-environment advertising messages: the role of regulatory focus

Namita Bhatnagar, Jane McKay Nesbitt

• This paper examines individuals’ (promotion versus prevention) regulatory focus effects on a variety of environmentally responsible reactions. Results of two studies show that chronic promotion focus is associated with environmental concern, favorable attitudes towards pro-environment advertising recommendations, intentions to do what the ad recommends, and positive affect directed at the self upon adhering to ad recommendations. Conversely, chronic prevention focus while not significantly associated with environmental concern, attitudes, intentions, or positive affect
  has a marginally positive association with negative affect toward the self and others who do not follow pro-environmental ad recommendations. Furthermore, priming promotion focus strengthens attitudes toward recommended behavior, intentions to follow through, and other-directed positive (and negative) affect. Priming prevention focus also strengthens other-directed negative (and positive) affect. No fit effects between individuals’ regulatory focus and pro-environmental ads framed with recycle, reduce, or recycle and reduce orientations is found. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.