Building on prior work examining discrete emotions and consumer behavior, the present research proposes that consumers are more likely to engage in the target sustainable behavior when marketers use an emotional appeal that matches the brand’s expressed values or one that is congruent with consumers’ value priority. In particular, we focus on two contrasting positive emotions—pride and awe. We show that the effectiveness of pride and awe appeals depends on the corresponding human values. Specifically, pride increases sustainable behavior and intentions when the self-enhancement value is prioritized; and awe increases sustainable behavior and intentions when the self-transcendence value is prioritized. Importantly, this interaction can be explained by enhanced self-efficacy. We demonstrate these effects across six studies, including a field study. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of sustainable consumption, reconcile prior research, and provide practical guidance for marketers and policy-makers.

基于先前研究离散情绪和消费者行为的工作，本研究提出，当营销人员使用与品牌表达的价值观相匹配或与消费者价值优先级一致的情感诉求时，消费者更有可能参与目标可持续行为。我们特别关注两种截然不同的积极情绪——骄傲和敬畏。我们表明，自豪感和敬畏感的有效性取决于相应的人类价值观。具体来说，当自我提升价值被优先考虑时，自豪感会增加可持续的行为和意图；当自我超越价值被优先考虑时，敬畏会增加可持续的行为和意图。重要的是，这种相互作用可以用增强的自我效能来解释。我们通过六项研究证明了这些影响，包括一项实地研究。