How consumers’ respect for nature and environmental self-assets influence their car brand experiences

Abstract

This paper provides a novel perspective on sustainability research by exploring how two pro-environmental characteristics of consumers – respect for nature and environmental self-assets – influence their brand experiences. The study uses survey data collected on a car brand that incorporated eco-friendly advances. The results show that respect for nature has an impact on how respondents experience the eco-friendliness of brands and that eco-friendly brand experiences in turn influence general brand experiences. The findings also suggest that the effects of the two pro-environmental characteristics depend on the education level of the consumer: eco-friendly brand experiences of highly educated consumers are affected by their respect for nature, whereas those of consumers with lower education levels are affected by environmental self-assets.