Similarity Challenge Appeals Motivate Consumers to Buy Virtuous Replacement Products

Abstract

Virtuous replacement products (e.g., plant-based meat, lab-fermented no-cocoa chocolate) are increasingly available in the marketplace. The authors define a virtuous replacement product as a product intended to offer a similar consumer experience to an existing product but that is produced in a more ethical manner (e.g., more sustainably or without human rights violations) by omitting a key characteristic typically associated with the product it is intended to replace. This research demonstrates, in both the lab and the field, that similarity challenge appeals (i.e., appeals that challenge consumers that they cannot tell the difference between a virtuous replacement product and the product it is intended to replace) are more effective at increasing purchase (and purchase intentions) of virtuous replacement products relative to appeals promoting the similarity of the consumption experience with no challenge. The findings further demonstrate that this occurs because similarity challenge appeals decrease the perceived performance risk associated with the virtuous replacement product. The authors provide evidence for this performance risk reduction mechanism through mediation. In addition, they explore whether exposure to similarity challenge appeals affects product evaluations after trial. This work provides practical insights about how to effectively promote adoption of virtuous replacement products.