The Effect of Persuasive Knowledge on the Attitude and Lifestyle of Organic Products Consumers; The Mediating Role of Skepticism about Advertising

Researchers have got conflicting perspectives on the reasons that make individuals disinclined toward consuming green products. Adopting a novel approach, this study focuses on the role of persuasive knowledge (i.e., agent, tactic, and topic) in developing skepticism about advertisements (stimulators and claims) and the consumers’ consequent reactions (attitude and lifestyle).

This is an applied and descriptive survey and a quantitative one considering its purpose, data collection, and nature. The structural equation modeling was utilized to examine the conceptual framework and the relationship of variables.

According to the obtained results, the effect of persuasive knowledge on skepticism and the impact of skepticism on consumer responses proved to be significant. Moreover, the mediating role of skepticism was accepted. Although the relationships between the main variables were significant, it was not the same for the relationships among the available subdimensions.

The individuals do not have a tendency toward consuming organic products and accepting advertising due to their self-persuasion, knowledge, and awareness. Therefore, in order to enhance the interest and diminish the skepticism of the audience, marketers must first reform the intellectual structure of the individuals. Since the perception and behavior of consumers originate from their confidence in the claims made by the advertisements, it is possible to improve the situation and increase the audiences’ trust in advertisements for green products to raise the quality of life in Iran.