Act as you preach! Authentic brand purpose versus “woke washing’s” impact on brand credibility: The moderating role of cause involvement and consumer skepticism
研究对比真实品牌宗旨与“洗绿”行为对品牌可信度的影响，发现真实宗旨提升可信度而“洗绿”降低可信度，且消费者的事业卷入和怀疑程度会调节这一效应。
An increasing number of brands are taking a stance on current socio-political issues such as climate change, racism, and LGBTQ discrimination, thereby adopting a purpose-driven branding approach. However, not all measures taken are authentic, with certain brands running the risk of being accused of “woke washing.” This experimental-based study, involving 278 participants and focusing on anti-racism, investigates whether the approach taken (authentic, woke washing, or neutral) impacts brand credibility. The results indicate that an authentic brand purpose positively affects brand credibility, whereas woke washing has a negative impact compared to a neutral approach. Furthermore, cause involvement and consumer skepticism moderate the relationship between the brand’s purpose-driven approach and brand credibility. Greater cause involvement and/or consumer skepticism result in a more favorable assessment of brands with an authentic purpose-driven approach and a more negative perception of woke washing brands. This highlights the importance of brands aligning their actions with their stated values – that is, acting as they preach.