The Interaction Effect of Brand Relationship Norms and Green Appeal Types: The Mediating Mechanism of Perceived Sincerity

Yanwen Lin

doi:10.47297/wspdecWSP2515-797315.20261007

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Volume 10, Issue 7

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The Interaction Effect of Brand Relationship Norms and Green Appeal Types: The Mediating Mechanism of Perceived Sincerity
The Interaction Effect of Brand Relationship Norms and Green Appeal Types: The Mediating Mechanism of Perceived Sincerity
School of Management, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510632, China
Vol. 10, Issue 7, Pages: 78-83(2026)
Published：30 July 2026
DOI：10.47297/wspdecWSP2515-797315.20261007
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Lin Yanwen.The Interaction Effect of Brand Relationship Norms and Green Appeal Types: The Mediating Mechanism of Perceived Sincerity[J].Development Economics of China,2026,10(07):78-83.
DOI：

Lin Yanwen.The Interaction Effect of Brand Relationship Norms and Green Appeal Types: The Mediating Mechanism of Perceived Sincerity[J].Development Economics of China,2026,10(07):78-83. DOI： 10.47297/wspdecWSP2515-797315.20261007.

摘要

Abstract

Green demarketing (GD) urges consumers to buy less for environmental reasons

yet its counter-commercial logic readily provokes skepticism about brand sincerity. Whereas prior research has examined the boundary conditions of GD effectiveness mainly from a brand image perspective

this paper introduces brand relationship norms as a relational moderator and tests their interplay with green appeal types. A 2 (green marketing (GM) vs. GD) × 2 (communal vs. exchange relationship norms) between-subjects experiment (N = 387) reveals a significant interaction on willingness to pay (WTP): under communal norms

GD elicits higher WTP than GM

whereas the pattern reverses under exchange norms. Moderated mediation analysis shows that perceived sincerity transmits this interaction

and that the indirect path is significant only under exchange norms

where the GD appeal violates transactional expectations and triggers motive scrutiny. This work extends the boundary condition of GD effectiveness from image matching to consumer–brand relationship fit

and guides firms to align green appeal strategies with the nature of their consumer relationships.

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references

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