Alone or Mixed? The Effect of Digital Human Narrative Scenarios on Chinese Consumer Eco-Product Purchase Intention

Abstract

Digital human narrative transportation has proven to be an effective green brand marketing strategy. However, there is still a lack of in-depth research on the relationship between the role of different digital human narrative scenarios in consumer perceptions and behaviors. This research examined the impact of digital human narrative scenarios on eco-product purchase intention through four studies. Study 1 found that anime-like (vs. human-like) digital human narratives led to more positive emotional arousal and higher eco-product purchase intention through the use of encephalography (EEG) experiments. Studies 2–4 examined the effect of digital human narrative scenarios on eco-product purchase intentions and explored the mediating role of narrative presence and the moderating role of narrative type. The results showed that mixed (vs. single) narratives lead to more positive consumer purchase intentions. In addition, sharing-oriented (vs. persuasion-oriented) narratives also led to a more positive perception of narrative presence. These findings provide insights for marketers using digital human narratives to promote eco-product consumption.