10. Beyond the Sustainability-Liability Effect: Developing Sustainable Brand Strategies by Understanding Sustainability as an Asset

Arguably more than ever, global societal aspirations are demanding more sustainable consumption and production patterns. However, the “sustainability-liability effect” poses a significant challenge for brand managers: When it comes to product categories in which functionality and strength are key attributes, consumers are likely to equate sustainability with inferior performance. Our experiment with a random German nat. rep. sample reveals promising strategies along the brand-product marketing continuum to eliciting a “sustainability-asset effect” that enhances consumers’ product evaluations. We also find that consumers’ perceived credibility of sustainability claims and generational differences in feeling overloaded vs. reassured are likely to influence the strength of the sustainability-asset effect. Our findings show that sustainability can now be perceived as an asset, if interwoven in an effective brand-product communication strategy.