As sportswear becomes everyday attire, brands are increasingly investing in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives. However, the psychological mechanisms linking these multidimensional efforts to consumer behavior remain insufficiently integrated in the existing literature and have rarely been tested simultaneously within a unified framework, particularly regarding the transition from green brand loyalty to green brand evangelism. This study addresses this gap by disaggregating perceived ESG initiatives into three distinct dimensions and modeling dual behavioral outcomes (green brand loyalty and green brand evangelism), while also examining the moderating role of self-green brand congruity. By integrating Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) and Self-Congruity Theories, data from 308 Chinese consumers were analyzed using PLS-SEM by SmartPLS 4.1. Results indicate that all three perceived ESG dimensions significantly enhance green brand attachment, with environmental initiatives exerting the strongest effect. Green brand attachment serves as a key mediator linking perceived ESG stimuli to behavioral responses, and green brand loyalty is found to be positively associated with brand evangelism. Furthermore, self-green brand congruity plays a moderating role in the relationship between ESG perceptions and green brand attachment, suggesting that identity alignment amplifies the impact of sustainability cues. These findings provide actionable strategies for managers to leverage perceived ESG and identity-based marketing to transform loyal consumers into vocal brand advocates.
Su et al. (Sun,) studied this question.