Green marketing framing and sustainable consumer behavior: the mediating role of digital marketing among younger consumers in Malaysia

Abstract

The idea of sustainable consumption remains of great interest in emerging economies, especially among younger consumers who are active online. Although green marketing has been widely researched, little has been done to investigate the role of different framing strategies in shaping consumer responses in digital communication environments. This research is based on framing theory and Consumption Value Theory. To examine the impact of gain framed and loss framed green marketing messages on consumer behavior and the mediating role of digital marketing in the Malaysian context. Data were collected via an online survey from 186 Malaysian consumers and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The results show that gain framed messages evoke more positive responses from consumers, whereas loss framed messages have no statistically significant effects. The results indicated that digital marketing had a positive effect on consumer behavior and partially mediated the relationship between gain framing messages and consumer behavior, but did not mediate the relationship with loss framing. These results indicate that gain framed messages are more effective than loss-framed messages particularly when the messages are transmitted through digital channels. The study contributes to the understanding of green marketing communication in the context of emerging economies by investigating the two framing strategies to shed light on the role of digital marketing in promoting sustainable consumer behavior.