Mapping Consumer Emotions in Response to Green Advertising: A Qualitative Exploration With Neuroimaging Tools

Abstract

Objective: This research aims to understand how green advertising influences consumers' emotional and cognitive responses, and how neuroimaging approaches can be used to more accurately evaluate the effectiveness of sustainability messages. The main focus is on identifying the unconscious mechanisms that drive negative spillover effects such as greenwashing, moral licensing and rebound effects. Research Design & Methods: This is a qualitative study based on a systematic literature review of relevant scholarly articles, particularly those that integrate affective heuristic approaches and neuroimaging findings. Consumer brain activation patterns when processing green advertisements and the relationship between message elements and individual characteristics were analyzed. Findings: Findings show that green advertisements that combine verbal and nonverbal messages can trigger affective responses through the activation of brain areas such as the amygdala, insula, vmPFC and TPJ. These emotional effects often appear before cognitive elaboration, confirming the role of affective primacy. Consumers' responses are strongly influenced by their regulatory focus and prosocial values. Implications & Recommendations: These results suggest that marketers design green advertisements with psychological and cultural factors in mind. Neuroimaging is also suggested as an objective advertising pre-test evaluation tool. Contribution & Value Added: This research contributes by integrating neuroscience approaches into the realm of green marketing, as well as offering a more holistic evaluative framework in designing effective sustainability communications.