The call of appeal and the echo of company: how advertising appeals influence consumers' repurchase intention for green agricultural products

In the context of growing global emphasis on environmental protection and sustainable development, consumer awareness of environmental issues and demand for sustainable products are steadily increasing. Although consumers may initially express a willingness to purchase green agricultural products, effectively stimulating and sustaining their repurchase intention remains a significant challenge. As a key communication bridge between firms and consumers, advertising appeals play a crucial role in conveying the value and advantages of green agricultural products, thereby influencing consumer purchase decisions. Drawing on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) model, this study employs a 2 × 2 between-subjects experimental design across three controlled experiments, analyzing 648 experimental samples to examine the mechanism through which advertising appeals influence consumers’ repurchase intention for green agricultural products. The experiments manipulated advertising appeals (green vs. non-green) and types of company feedback (functional vs. social) using three different product categories to test main effects, mediation, and moderation. The results indicate that, compared to non-green advertising appeals, green advertising appeals generate higher repurchase intention among consumers. Perceived product utility mediates the relationship between advertising appeals and repurchase intention. Moreover, company feedback moderates the effect of advertising appeals on perceived product utility. Specifically, under functional feedback conditions, green advertising appeals lead to higher perceived product utility than non-green appeals, whereas under social feedback conditions, no significant difference is observed between the two appeal types. This study contributes to the literature by extending research on advertising appeals to the post-purchase context, identifying perceived utility as a key mediating mechanism, and establishing company feedback type as an important boundary condition for the effectiveness of green appeals. These findings not only provide insights for firms to implement targeted advertising strategies that achieve economic benefits but also contribute positively to environmental protection and sustainable development at both societal and global levels.