The congruent effects of co-branding green, ecologically-friendly ads

Many researchers have explored environmentally-friendly advertising; observing its effects on purchasing behaviors and intentions (Davis, 1993; Tucker, Rifon, Lee, & Reece, 2012; Xue & Muralidharan, 2015; Marie-Cecile Cervellon, 2012) as well as co-branding as a tactic for encouraging consumers to purchase products as well (Park, Jun, & Shocker, 1996; Helmig et al., 2008; Norris, 1992; Charry & Demoulin, 2014; Khun et al., 2008). Furthermore, co-branding is an increasingly popular tactic, yet little research has been conducted in relation to how co-branding and green marketing can work in tandem. As a result, this study merges these two advertising tactics by exploring key concepts such as product/brand fit. This is done so by investigating the level of congruence between a fictitious, environmentally-friendly host brand and several differentiating, high equity partner brands. The study employs an experiment to investigate the effects of co-branding (present vs. absent) and the level of congruence (high vs. medium vs. low) on purchase intentions (PI), attitudes toward the ad (Aad), and attitudes toward the brand (AB); building on the Theory of Congruence. The results indicate that, with co-branding, when comparing a co-branded ad to a single-branded ad, there are no significant differences between the participants' attitudes towards the ad or brand, their intent to purchase the host brand's product, or their attitudes towards any given, presented ad. Similarly, when addressing congruence, the level of congruous match has no significant difference on participants' attitudes towards the host brand or their intentions to purchase it. Limitations and areas for future research are also provided.