Ambidextrous Green Advertising on Social Media: The Role of Green Trust in Green Purchase Intention

Despite the growing use of social media to promote green agricultural products, firms still face challenges in translating green advertising into purchase intentions. Drawing on dynamic capability theory and an ambidexterity perspective, this study examines two parallel consumer acceptance pathways involving user-generated content (UGC)-based social media green advertising and targeted green advertising on social media, with green trust as a mediating mechanism and sustainability-focused value orientation as a boundary condition. Survey data from 739 respondents were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The results show that acceptance of both advertising approaches is positively associated with green trust and green purchase intention, with green trust partially mediating both relationships. Sustainability-focused value orientation strengthens the relationship between acceptance of UGC-based social media green advertising and green purchase intention but does not significantly moderate the relationship between acceptance of targeted green advertising on social media and green purchase intention. These findings extend the ambidexterity perspective to consumer-facing green advertising by showing how distinct advertising approaches operate through parallel acceptance pathways and converge on green trust as a shared psychological mechanism. The study also offers practical implications for designing more effective social media strategies to promote sustainable consumption.