This project is investigating the extent to which different values can be activated by information related to product sustainability.  Specifically, we are interested in determining whether advertisements for different organic food products designed to activate different values from Schwartz’s typology of human values.  While purchases of organic food have risen dramatically in recent years, there is much debate about what is driving this change in preferences.  Is it due to people’s concern about their personal health, the environment, or some other factor?  Furthermore, much debate revolves around what is hindering further growth in organic consumption.  Many posit that many people don’t buy organic products because they don’t care about their promised benefits, but it may also be due to the fact that those benefits haven’t been actively promoted or advertised.  How might such advertisements be designed, and what might be their effects?  We are using a series of experimental designs to explore these questions.

This research was published in the Journal of Consumer Marketing, and can be accessed here.

Researchers Involved in this Project: Graham Bullock, Chris Johnson ’17, Philip Yu ’16, and Brian Southwell (RTI/UNC/Duke)