Consumer Perceptions of Green Marketing Claims: An Examination of the Relationships with Type of Claim and Credibility

In the 1990s, some called it the issue of the decade (Kirkpatick 1990; Roberts 1996). In this new millennium, it continues to grow in importance as issues such as global warming are further highlighted. Many companies have begun to use green marketing as a way to appeal to consumers. Green marketing is the most often used term; however, it has also been called ecological marketing, environmental marketing, greener marketing, enviropreneurial marketing, green advertising, and sustainable marketing. All of these terms refer to the study of marketing’s impact on the environment and how the environment is included in marketing decisions (Chamorro et al. 2007). Previous research indicates that green marketing can lead to many positive outcomes, such as positive product image, corporate reputation, purchase intentions (Ko et al. 2013), brand attitude (Matthes et al. 2014), and positive image toward the retailer (Lavorata 2014).