When Descriptive Norm Cues Fail As Persuasion Agents in Green Supermarket Advertising

This article examines the effectiveness of descriptive norm cues in the context of green advertising for large grocery chains through the lens of the persuasion knowledge model. Across two experiments with real brands, the authors demonstrate that descriptive norms in green advertising can activate consumers' perceptions of deceptive intent on the part of the marketer, resulting in negative attitudes and less compliant green buying intentions. The results suggest that green advertising might be more productive if retailers frame their messages without descriptive norm cues and reliance on whether they are seen as "green" (e.g., Whole Foods) or "non green" (Wal-Mart).