Why a Single Pro-Environmental Appeal Works to Promote Behavioral Change On Social Media, One Tip versus Many Is More Effective for Nongreen Consumers

Some brands, not-for-profit organizations, and social media influencers post tips to encourage prosocial behaviors. This is particularly prevalent in the context of environmental sustainability. Through a series of three studies, including a field experiment using a real brand to investigate click-through rates and cost per click, this research finds that a single green tip (versus many tips) enhances brand attitudes among consumers with low environmental concern. By contrast, the number of tips is less consequential for consumers with high environmental concern. Perceived brand authenticity is the mediating mechanism behind the effect. These findings hold across different product categories and different manipulations for the number of tips.