Nerd Alert: The Science of Sustainability Advertising

Welcome to Nerd Alert, a series of special episodes bridging the gap between marketing academia and practitioners. We’re breaking down highly involved, complex research into plain language and takeaways any marketer can use.

In this episode, Elena and Rob explore why sustainability advertising is so hard to get right and what brands can do to close the gap between what consumers say they value and what they actually buy.

Topics covered:   

• [00:55] "Sustainability Advertising: A Literature Review and Framework for Future Research"
• [01:50] The gap between sustainable intent and action
• [04:00] The three levers of sustainability advertising: ad context, source characteristics, and message design
• [05:30] Why consumers don't trust sustainability claims and when third-party cues help
• [06:15] The sustainability liability: when "eco-friendly" hurts perceived performance
• [07:40] What brands can do to make sustainability messaging actually work 

 





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Resources: 
Rathee, S., & Milfeld, T. (2023). Sustainability advertising: Literature review and framework for future research. International Journal of Advertising. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2023.2175300 


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