The Ripple Effect of Macromarketing Education: Examining Student Knowledge, Concern, Behavior, and Value Perception

Macromarketing remains underutilized in business education despite its potential to deepen students’ understanding of marketing's societal and environmental impacts. This study examines how a macromarketing-focused intervention, either a lecture or an interactive activity, impacts students’ sustainability knowledge, environmental concern, behavioral intentions, and perceived educational value. Findings reveal that even brief exposure to macromarketing concepts enhances perceived and actual knowledge, with perceived knowledge playing a particularly strong role in increasing environmental concern. In turn, greater concern strengthens environmental behavioral intentions, which improves perceived educational value. Importantly, results show that even small macromarketing interventions create a ripple effect, reinforcing the value of integrating macromarketing into marketing curricula. Furthermore, combining a macromarketing based lecture with a macromarketing based interactive activity enhances perceived knowledge and strengthens behavioral intentions. Finally, the study highlights the critical role of perceived knowledge in shaping sustainability engagement, demonstrating that confidence in one's understanding is essential for fostering deeper concern and action.