Promoting sustainable foods on Instagram: impact of message source and appeals

Purpose This study aims to examine the use and effectiveness of sustainable food communication on Instagram, focusing on the impact of message appeals (informational, transformational and interactional) and message sources (influencers versus commercial sources) on social media engagement (SME), measured as passive (likes) and active (comments) responses. Design/methodology/approach A random sample of 203 Instagram posts (45% from influencers and 55% from commercial accounts) promoting plant-based milk was collected via the hashtags #almondmilk, #coconutmilk and #oatmilk. A retrospective content analysis facilitated the identification of both sources’ message appeals, and non-parametric tests assessed the effects of these message appeals on SME. Findings Influencers outperformed commercial sources in eliciting engagement, with micro-influencers excelling over meso-influencers when follower count was controlled. For influencers, transformational appeals significantly enhanced engagement, unlike for commercial sources. Informational appeals had no effect on influencers and yielded mixed effects for commercial sources. For both sources, interactional appeals reduced likes. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine the use and effectiveness of message appeals in sustainable food communication across influencer and commercial sources. The findings contribute to the field of reformative sustainability marketing and are helpful in designing effective social media communication strategies for promoting sustainable food choices.