You Shall (Not) Fear (original) (raw)

What’s Cruel About Cruelty Free: An Exploration of Consumers, Moral Heuristics, and Public Policy

Journal of Animal Ethics, 2014

In his book Reveille for Radicals, Saul Alinsky writes, "Most people are eagerly groping for . . . some way in which they can bridge the gap between their morals and their practices" (p. 94). Today, many consumers try to bridge that gap by participating in what has been termed ethical consumption: the intentional purchase of products and services that the customer considers to be ethically produced. But what happens if consumer perceptions do not match reality? This study investigates one aspect of ethical consumption by examining consumer perceptions of the term cruelty free. Various definitions of this term exist, and companies can (and do) use the term when the product or its ingredients were indeed tested on animals. This exploratory study suggests that many consumers use this term as a moral heuristic in decision-making. As a result, the use of the term creates a halo effect that elevates brand perceptions. When provided with information suggesting the heuristic is fl...

When sex doesn't sell: using sexualized images of women reduces support for ethical campaigns

PloS one, 2013

Images of scantily clad women are used by advertisers to make products more attractive to men. This "sex sells" approach is increasingly employed to promote ethical causes, most prominently by the animal-rights organization PETA. Yet sexualized images can dehumanize women, leaving an unresolved paradox--is it effective to advertise an ethical cause using unethical means? In Study 1, a sample of Australian male undergraduates (N = 82) viewed PETA advertisements containing either sexualized or non-sexualized images of women. Intentions to support the ethical organization were reduced for those exposed to the sexualized advertising, and this was explained by their dehumanization of the sexualized women, and not by increased arousal. Study 2 used a mixed-gender community sample from the United States (N = 280), replicating this finding and extending it by showing that behaviors helpful to the ethical cause diminished after viewing the sexualized advertisements, which was again...

An exploration of ethical consumers’ response to ‘animal friendly’apparel labelling

2010

ABSTRACT An emerging social ethic for animal welfare that seeks to improve the welfare of animals in industrial farming is evident in the growing demand for products perceived to be 'animal friendly'. Research examining consumer response to 'animal friendly'products has focused on the food product category despite the extensive use of animal fibres, fur, and skins in the production of clothing and textiles.

The Differential Influence of Identification on Ethical Judgment: The Role of Brand Love

Journal of Business Ethics, 2017

As negative information about companies becomes widely available and spreads rapidly through digital communications, understanding consumer reactions to these events and how human perceptions are shaped becomes increasingly important. In this paper, we investigate how consumers' identification with brands and their love for them affect their support for the brand during extremely unethical (negative) situations. The results indicate that brand identification both decreases (direct effect) and increases (indirect effect through brand love) consumers' ethical judgment following extremely unethical events. Moreover, we find that consumers who are in a love type relationship with the brand proactively shield the brand from other consumers by employing two brand supportive behaviors; sin of omission and brand defense.

The credibility of shock advocacy: Animal rights attack messages

Public Relations Review, 2009

This study examined the impact of a graphic animal rights campaign launched by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) against alleged abuses on a corporate farm. It considered the impact of the campaign upon the credibility of the target of the campaign as well as the producer of the campaign. Results indicated that PETA's attack message against abuses at corporate pig farms was effective in eroding the credibility of the corporate foodindustry raising animals for consumption. At the same time, PETA's credibility rose overall after participants viewed the PETA attack message.

Individual characteristics and the arousal of mixed emotions: consequences for the effectiveness of charity fundraising advertisements

International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 2014

• Charities that deal with emotionally upsetting issues (severe physical disfigurement, cruelty to animals, etc.) frequently include in their fundraising materials images and messages with the potential to cause substantial psychological distress to some members of the public. Often, the materials presented arouse mixed positive and negative emotions within viewers. This study examined the influences of a number of potential antecedents of the stimulation of mixed emotions among individuals confronted with highly emotional charity fundraising advertisements. The research sought to identify the type of person most likely to experience mixed emotions when observing an emotional charity advertisement, the specific kinds of emotion felt most deeply by individuals with various characteristics, and the consequences of mixed emotions for a person's attitude towards the advertisement and for the individual's behavioural intention vis-à-vis future donations. Three made-up charity advertisements were presented to a sample of 771 respondents. A model was constructed to predict the participants' emotional reactions to the advertisements and was estimated, the results suggesting that mixed emotions represented an important determinant of both attitude towards the advertisement and the sample members' behavioural intention.

The impact of ethical fashion on consumer purchase behavior

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