When Products Speak for Themselves: How Product Self-Expressiveness Shapes Green Advertising Appeal Effectiveness

Grounded in self-congruity theory and signaling theory, this research advances a symbolism-based perspective on green advertising by examining how identity signaling is activated through the interaction of message appeal, product type, and environmental awareness. Two experiments (N1= 320; N2= 255) using a 2 (appeal: other-benefit vs. self-benefit) × 2 (product type: high vs. low self-expressive) between-subjects design were conducted in China. Results show that other-benefit appeals increase self-expressive benefits for low self-expressive products or among consumers with lower environmental awareness. In contrast, among highly environmentally aware consumers, appeal differences are non-significant. Additionally, a moderate mediation analysis demonstrates that self-expressive benefits mediate the relationship between advertising appeals and purchase intentions, with product type and environmental awareness jointly moderating this indirect effect. The findings advance theoretical framework by integrating identity-driven consumption and product symbolism, while offering practical insights for tailoring green messages.