In India, SDG-focused advertising drives purchases by building trust, more so for reputable brands and aware consumers.
Authors
Anurag Singh, Department of Management Studies, BITS Pilani—Dubai Campus, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Rupesh Kumar, Professor, Jindal Global Business School, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana, India
Vinod Kumar, FLAME School of Communication, FLAME University, Pune, India
Georgia Sakka, CIIM Business School, University of Limassol, Limassol, Cyprus; GNOSIS Mediterranean Institute for Management Science, University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus
Ranjan Chaudhuri, Léonard de Vinci Pôle Universitaire, Research Center, France
Sheshadri Chatterjee, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal, Kharagpur, India
Demetris Vrontis, Gnosis: Mediterranean Institute for Management Science, School of Business, University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus; S P Jain School of Global Management, Singapore Campus, Singapore
Summary
Sustainability-oriented advertising aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) significantly enhances Indian consumers’ purchase intentions through brand trust, moderated by corporate reputation and SDG literacy, as revealed by a six-month time-lagged survey of n = 421 respondents. Employing PLS-SEM, this study demonstrates that SDG-focused CSR advertising strengthens brand trust, which mediates 63% of the total effect on purchase intentions. Corporate reputation amplifies this relationship, with high-reputation firms achieving 23% greater purchase intention, while consumers in the top SDG literacy quartile exhibit 31% stronger trust-to-purchase pathways. The implications of the study highlight the need for the layered communication frameworks that navigate India’s evolving sustainability landscape.
Published in: International Journal of Advertising
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