Thinking green : How marketing managers select media for consumer acceptance

Purpose: Knowledge about what drives managers to make more sustainable media decisions is important, as it can influence communication effectiveness, especially in countries with strong green consumption preferences. Design/methodology/approach: The authors examine corporate environmental policies and personal green attitudes of managers in the media selection process as potential influencers of marketing managers’ green thought, driving corporate sustainability. Findings: The findings show that managers’ personal green attitudes are an internal driver of corporate sustainability with regard to more sustainable media decisions, while corporate environmental policies are not. Practical implications: These findings highlight the importance of recruiting marketing managers with strong green personal profiles, particularly companies with a green profile. Results also suggest companies use environmental policies in all managerial decisions, including marketing communications decisions such as media selection. Social implications: This research begins the process of understanding what drives marketing managers in their green thinking and related managerial decisions. With today’s growing focus on the environment, this knowledge is increasingly important, so companies can be aligned with the increasing number of eco-conscious consumers who purchase products based on corporate communications and green corporate decisions. Originality/value: Where previous research found that the lack of commitment among company’s owners and the inability of suppliers to comply with the company’s sustainable policies are barriers of corporate sustainability, the current study found that this is the case even for marketing managers through the non-use of corporate green policies in marketing decisions and those with weak personal green attitudes.