The Role of Green Influencers

In a recent study conducted by the Penn State School of Hospitality Management, it was discovered that social media influencers dedicated to environmental causes, also known as ‘green influencers,’ can greatly assist in the efforts to reduce waste and pollution in the tourism industry. Through their passionate and specific messaging, these influencers can inspire tourists to adopt more sustainable behaviors, thereby reducing the environmental impact of tourism.

Researchers led by Penn State Assistant Professor of Hospitality Management Anni Ding published their findings in the Journal of Sustainable Tourism. They highlighted that tourism companies and destinations can leverage green influencers who are deeply committed to the environment to promote eco-friendly behavior among tourists. This can help prevent environmental damage caused by pollution and waste accumulation at tourist destinations.

The researchers conducted two experiments to assess the impact of green influencers on tourists’ environmental support. The first experiment involved 322 survey participants who viewed social media posts about a hypothetical beach cleanup. The posts varied in the intensity of the influencers’ passion for the cause. After viewing the posts, participants responded to questions about the influencers’ passion and capacity for environmental action.

The study found that an influencer’s passion can indeed inspire their followers to support environmental causes. This is explained by the emotional contagion theory, which suggests that emotions can be transferred from one person to another. Therefore, influencers with a genuine passion for sustainability can inspire similar sentiments among their followers.

The second experiment tested the impact of the influencers’ goal clarity and strength on the audience, considering varying levels of influencer passion. The experiment involved 514 participants who viewed fictional social media posts under four different conditions: high passion with high goal specificity, high passion with low goal specificity, low passion with high goal specificity, and low passion with low goal specificity.

The researchers concluded that clear, specific goals can compensate for a lack of passion. Influencers who communicate strong, specific goals and calls to action effectively demonstrate their commitment to the cause, even if they do not express high levels of passion.

Tourism companies can leverage the influence of these green influencers in their marketing strategies. Still, it’s essential to choose influencers who align with the company’s objectives and are genuinely passionate about the cause. Selecting the wrong influencer can result in an inefficient use of the marketing budget.

According to Ding, the ideal situation is for companies to partner with influencers who share a genuine passion for environmental initiatives and whose followers align with the company’s target audience. Positive emotions like passion can be powerful tools in marketing and communications. Tourism companies can build an effective communication campaign by choosing a passionate ambassador to deliver the right message.

The research was a collaboration between Anni Ding, Tiffany S. Legendre of the University of Houston, Harold S. Lee and Jihye ‘Ellie’ Min of the University of North Texas.