Sustainable marketing and social media: a cross-country analysis of motives for sustainable behaviors

Abstract

Increased spending and demand for sustainable advertising necessitates research to understand better how to encourage sustainable thought and behavior effectively, especially in the understudied areas of social media and cross-cultural research. This study, which includes respondents from the United States, Germany, and South Korea (total n = 1,018) who completed an online survey about usage of Facebook and Twitter, examines motives for sustainable behaviors. Kelman's (1958) functional motives, which correspond to the three major philosophies of psychology, were used as the theoretical foundation for this study. For all countries, involvement motives lead to recycling behaviors and green transportation use, but only for the United States and Germany do involvement motives lead to antimaterialistic views and organic food purchase. Collectivist South Korea has the highest level of social media involvement and of sustainable behaviors except in recycling, where Germany leads. Motives are complex, demanding careful analysis from advertisers who plan to deliver green advertisements over social media.