The role of environmental marketing in consumer recycling behaviour

Abstract

This study analyses the influence of two types of green advertisement on the population's recycling attitude and behaviour. The first type of adverts used in this dissertation is referred as rational type of advertising, it is designed to provide information to the public and spread knowledge about recycling. The second type, referred as emotional advertising in this dissertation, plays with negative emotions and shocking messages to engage people in recycling. This research was accomplished thought quantitative data collection and analysis using a theoretical framework based on the Azjen's theory of planned behaviour (1991). For the research, a total of 120 participants, randomly chosen within the Normandy province, divided in three samples of 40 people each were surveyed. Given the same questionnaire, the first sample was not exposed to any advert before its completion; it is referred as control group. The second sample was exposed to four print adverts of the emotional type, and the last sample was exposed to a list of four print adverts of the rational type. The results were analysed separately and revealed that the respondents react differently according to the type of recycling advertisement they are exposed to prior completing their questionnaire, and that the two-sample exposed to recycling adverts were more willing to recycle. Conversely, rational recycling adverts are raising the population's attitude towards recycling adverts but do not seem to motivate them to recycle. On the other hand, emotional adverts seem to be less appreciated, but more valuated by people and show impressive proof of recycling behavioural changes in the population.