Advertising for Sustainability – Promoting Sustainably Produced Food to Finnish Consumers

Abstract

The objective of this research is to analyse the amount and the content of food advertisements from three Finnish magazines from the years 2006-2007 and 2010-2012. Moreover, the aim is to outline what are the values reflected in the appeals used to advertise sustainably produced food to Finnish consumers. The diffusion of innovations –theory together with a theoretical framework consisting of three value orientations related sustainably oriented behaviour is used. A gradual increase in the popularity of sustainably produced food is indeed visible in the quantity as well as the content of advertisements from the years 2010-2012 compared to 2006-2007. The appeals of the earlier advertisements were often rational and more related to egoistic or altruistic values. Whereas, in the advertisements from the years 2010-2012, positive emotional appeals were used containing both egoistic and altruistic values; and biospheric values were related to positive emotional appeals. The findings of this research yield new information about how sustainably produced food has been marketed to a larger group of Finnish consumers.