Emotional or rational? Effective ESG advertising messages for travel enterprises

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of ESG advertising messages on consumer support for ESG management in the context of travel enterprises by integrating persuasion theory and regulatory focus theory. This study adopts a mixed-method approach. Study 1 explores how travel enterprises leverage ESG performance effectively in their advertising by conducting in-depth interviews with tourism and hospitality professionals. In Study 2, a 2 (ESG advertising message: emotional vs. rational) × 2 (regulatory focus: prevention vs. promotion) between-subjects experiment is conducted. The findings make several contributions to the literature and also have practical implications. © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.