Message framing and individual traits in adopting innovative, sustainable products (ISPs): Evidence from biofuel adoption

This research examines the positive role of consumer education in diffusing innovative, sustainable products (ISPs). To enhance the effectiveness of a consumer education campaign, this study explores the type of message framing that can best facilitate product adoption among three different approaches: positive, negative, and hybrid framing. This study also investigates consumer traits and retailer attributes that facilitate or deter product adoption. The empirical application using biofuels shows that a negatively framed educational message highlighting the negative impact of gasoline (versus biofuels) is most effective in leveraging the social desirability of product adoption against its economic disadvantages. Consumer traits positively associated with the adoption of biobutanol are environmental consciousness, prosocial behavior, and openness to new experiences, whereas vertical individualism discourages such adoption. Furthermore, retailer choice attributes of location and payment convenience facilitate adoption, while retailer choice attributes based on price and servicescape cleanliness discourage such adoption.