The Antecedents of Eco-Friendly Brand Image: A Pilot Study

An eco-friendly brand image positions a brand as being environmentally friendly or sustainable with its products/services. According to Chen (2010), the eco-friendly brand image is defined as “a set of perceptions of a brand in a consumer’s mind that is linked to environmental commitments and environmental concerns”. His study focused on eco-friendly image and eco-friendly equity and found that that eco-friendly brand image lead to eco-friendly brand equity. In the quest for greater brand equity, however, it has become popular for companies to emphasize eco-friendliness because it is trendy, regardless of a firm’s motivation or actual efforts. However, what if consumers suspect a firm has ulterior motives or that its efforts are minor? And even more broadly, how does perceived eco-friendliness relate to general brand image and intentions to purchase a brand?