Background In the organic food market, green advertising is increasingly used to communicate environmental responsibility and sustainability-related value. Yet the influence of such communication depends not only on message content, but also on whether consumers actually receive and internalize the environmental signals conveyed. Building on signaling theory and the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S–O–R) framework, this study investigates how green advertising receptivity is linked to purchase intention and brand loyalty through the mediating roles of brand image and brand trust. Methods Data were obtained through an online questionnaire survey of consumers who had prior exposure to or familiarity with green advertising. After excluding invalid responses, 366 usable questionnaires were retained. The proposed relationships were examined using structural equation modeling (SEM), and indirect effects were assessed through a bias-corrected bootstrap procedure. Results Green advertising receptivity showed significant positive effects on both brand image and brand trust. In turn, brand image and brand trust were positively associated with purchase intention and brand loyalty. The mediation results further indicated that both constructs significantly transmitted the effects of green advertising receptivity to the two behavioral outcomes. Conclusion The study provides evidence that green advertising receptivity is an important condition under which environmental claims become behaviorally relevant. By conceptualizing receptivity as a form of signal uptake and by distinguishing brand image and brand trust as two complementary organism-stage mechanisms, the study offers a more integrated explanation of how green advertising shapes consumer responses in the context of organic food consumption. The findings also provide practical insight for firms seeking to improve the credibility and long-term relational value of green communication.
Zhang et al. (2026) studied this question.