How to use advertising appeals to promote green purchase behaviour —The double-edged sword effect of a large usage-based scale frame

Abstract This study examines whether consumers exhibit differential responses to equivalent expressions of the benefits associated with green products when presented in varying usage-based scales or units. Specifically, it investigates the impact of scale frame on green purchase intention by comparing large-number frames to small-number frames. Results from a sample of 302 consumers indicate that green benefits expressed in a large-number frame significantly increase green purchase intention compared to those in a small-number frame. Perceived value serves as a mediator for this positive effect, whereas consumer skepticism exerts a suppressive influence on this relationship. Consequently, the large-number frame can be regarded as a double-edged sword in terms of promoting green purchase intention. Furthermore, regulatory focus moderates these effects in such a way that consumers with a promotion focus exhibit a higher purchase intention because of an enhanced perceived value in the large-number frame. In contrast, consumers with a prevention focus demonstrate a lower purchase intention due to increased skepticism toward the benefits framed in large numbers. These findings contribute to the literature on information framing, regulatory fit, and pro-environmental behaviours, offering valuable insights for businesses and governments to design effective communication campaigns by aligning environmental information with the motivational states of their target audience, thereby further promoting pro-environmental behaviours.