It’S the Mindset That Matters: the Role of Construal Level and Message Framing in Influencing Consumer Conservation Behaviors

Given that past research regarding the effects of message framing on conservation behaviors has produced mixed results, this research elucidates when loss versus gain framed messages are most effective in influencing consumer recycling by examining the moderating role of whether a more concrete or abstract mindset is activated. Across two laboratory experiments and one field study, loss frames were more efficacious paired with lower-level, concrete mindsets, whereas gain frames were more effective paired with higher-level, abstract mindsets. This is consistent with our matching hypothesis, wherein a pairing of messages that activate more concrete (abstract) mindsets leads to enhanced processing fluency, increased efficacy, and, as a result, more positive recycling outcomes. The findings have implications for marketers, consumers, and society as a whole.

Citation:

Katherine White, Rhiannon MacDonnell, and Darren Dahl (2011) ,"It’S the Mindset That Matters: the Role of Construal Level and Message Framing in Influencing Consumer Conservation Behaviors", in E - European Advances in Consumer Research Volume 9, eds. Alan Bradshaw, Chris Hackley, and Pauline Maclaran, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 435.