Recent calls in environmental communication literature suggest researchers should understand the relationships between media message content, message construction, and audience effects. This thesis analyzed environmental advertising frames over time to inform strategic environmental communication research and practice. The study was a media content analysis guided by framing theory. Framing theory asserts the construction of media messages involves the selection and salience of particular message characteristics (Entman, 1993). Thus, the analysis examined the characteristics of environmental advertisements (N=449) published in Newsweek, Time, and U.S. News and World Report in 1990, 2000, and 2010. Advertisements were classified based on whether the environmental appeal was issue-specific (e.g., pollution, species/habitat protection) or generic. Findings indicate that responsibility frames were overwhelmingly dominant as the strategy used to advertise products, goods and services. The responsibility frame was also prevalent in issue-specific ads. Macro-frames, which attempt to identify organizing lenses through which environmental advertising appeals are advanced, were not present in advertisements at significant levels during the time periods analyzed. The species/habitat protection issue was the dominant issue in 1990, while energy efficiency was the prevalent issue in 2000 and 2010. Advertisements appearing in the newsmagazine pages primarily were sponsored by for-profit organizations. Environmental advertisements had an overwhelmingly positive valence over time. Results have implications for future environmental communication research exploring media content and effects, public opinion and persuasion, and strategic communication practice. / Master of Arts

Damp, rotting, smelly, rising from the depths, washed up on shorelines. Seaweed (or Macroalgae) has transitioned over time in its position and uses within the British Isles; as discussed in the thesis it has undergone an evolution from its historical use as a source of food in times of desperation, to the superfood it is lauded as today. Other applications, from medicinal to agricultural, have contributed to a narrative of seaweed’s identity over the centuries, to the appeal of seaweed as a food source in the present day. There is an increased interest in seaweed, especially for culinary purposes, in the British Isles. Research by chefs, cookbooks and innovative product ranges also frame the current attitudes in the use of seaweed in common everyday foods. The case study shows the challenges and opportunities in the current revitalised seaweed market, identifying marketing analysis approaches useful for changing the attitudes toward seaweed in the British Isles. Based on interviews with companies marketing seaweed, and a focus on Seagreens®, I draw on advertising theory and consultancy tools (such as SWOT, AGCC, ELM and DAGMAR) to analyse the current seaweed market defining what I call a ‘consumer triad’ of potential consumers. Findings indicate many possibilities for future USP endorsements depending on the target market, from health-orientated to sustainably farmed. Seaweed interest appears to be more knowledge than consumer driven, so the question instead surrounds the prospect of knowledge sharing in an integrated online manner. Meanwhile, challenges in farming, labelling and conservation within the EU hamper advancements in the field, with the balance shifting to invested interest in Blue Economy models and IMTA systems.

Being perceived as a sustainable brand by customers is becoming increasingly more important for companies. This has resulted in that more companies are communicating what actions they take to be more sustainable. Companies also utilize symbol and labels to signal suitability on products and services. As a result of insufficient regulations for how sustainability may and may not be marketed, customers are presented with a high number of exaggerated and false sustainability claims. Therefore, customers find it difficult to orient themselves among all the sustainability information. Also, companies are struggling to stand out and convince customers that theirsustainability information is true. In addition, it is difficult to change existing customer attitudes, which makes it difficult for companies that want to change negative perceptions of sustainability. To make it easier for customers to orient among all information, the EU Commission has developed new directives concerning greenwashing. However, this has further complicated the marketing and communication of sustainability, both internally and towards consumers. This study has examined success factors for signaling sustainability to be perceived as a sustainable brand by customers, as well as how to avoid greenwashing. The study was conducted using multiple-case studies in three different industries with a total of five respondents. The industries were transport, food producing companies and food retailer. Furthermore, three experts in brand strategy were interviewed. The study shows that companies can take initiatives internally as well as develop external signals related to sustainability in order to increase their perceived level of sustainability among customers. Internally, is it important that the company has sustainability as a natural part of the brand. If sustainability is streamed through the entire organization, the customer will perceive that the company possess a high level of sustainability. Furthermore, companies need to define what sustainability entails internally and establish ambitions and goals. Knowledge about society's and consumers' views and definition of sustainability is beneficial when sustainability is to be marketed. Also, it is important to be transparent about how sustainable the company actually is. With regard to the external signals,  storytelling proved to have a major impact on consumers' perception of sustainability. Sustainability information that is transparent is more likely to be perceived as authentic and has a positive effect on consumers' perception of sustainability. A larger number of decimals in numerical sustainability information can be perceived as more credible among consumers who are familiar with a company and less so among those who are unfamiliar. The use of third-party symbols and climate compensation should be seen as a complement, as it has less of an impact on consumers' perception of a company's sustainability. By creating a uniform definition, ambitions and goals around sustainability and transparently communicating it to everyone within the company, the risk for greenwashing will be reduced. Furthermore, it is important that all marketing of sustainability is reviewed by experts, for example through close collaboration between the sustainability department and the marketing department. / Att uppfattas som hållbara blir allt viktigare för företag. Följden av detta är att allt fler företag kommunicerar sina åtaganden för att bli mer hållbara. Företag applicerar även symboler och etiketter som ska signalera hållbarhet på produkter och tjänster. En konsekvens av bristen på tillräckliga regleringar för hur hållbarhet får och inte får marknadsföras är ett högt antal överdrivna och falska hållbarhetspåståenden. Konsumenter har därför svårt att orientera sig bland all information. Företag kämpar med att sticka ut och övertyga konsumenter om att information som berör hållbarhet är sann. Dessutom är det svårt att förändra befintliga attityder, vilket försvårar för de företag som vill förändra negativa hållbarhetsuppfattningar. För att underlätta för konsumenter har EU kommissionen utvecklat nya direktiv för greenwashing (grönmålning enligt EU kommissionen). Det har komplicerat marknadsföring och kommunikation av hållbarhet ytterligare, både internt och gentemot konsument. Denna studie har undersökt framgångsfaktorer för att signalera hållbarhet och därigenom uppfattas som ett hållbart företag av konsument, samt hur man undviker greenwashing. Studien genomfördes genom fallstudier med fem respondenter inom tre olika branscher. Branscherna var transport, matproducerande företag och dagligvaruhandel. Vidare intervjuades tre experter inom varumärkesstrategi. Studien visar att företag kan ta initiativ internt samt utveckla och effektivisera externa signaler som rör hållbarhet för att öka sin uppfattade nivå av hållbarhet hos konsumenter. Internt är det viktigt att företaget har hållbarhet som en naturlig del i företaget. Om hållbarhet genomsyrar hela organisationen ökar chansen för att konsumenter vid varje möte med företaget får en positiv hållbarhetsuppfattning. Vidare behöver företag definiera vad hållbarhet innebär internt samt etablera ambitioner och mål kring hållbarhet. Att ha samhällets och konsumenters syn och hållbarhetsdefinition i åtanke kan vara gynnsamt när hållbarhet ska marknadsföras. Det är också viktigt att vara transparant internt med hur hållbart företaget är. Vad gäller de externa signalerna visade sig storytelling kunna ha stor inverkan på konsumenters hållbarhetsuppfattning. Hållbarhetsinformation som är transparent har större sannolikhet att uppfattas som autentisk och påverkar konsumenters uppfattning av hållbarhet positivt. Ett större antal decimaler i numerisk hållbarhetsinformation kan uppfattas som mer trovärdigt bland konsumenter som är bekanta med ett företag och mindre bland de som är nya. Användandet av tredjepartssymboler och klimatkompensation bör ses som ett komplement, då det har mindre inverkan på konsumenters hållbarhetsuppfattning av ett företag. Genom att skapa en enhetlig definition, ambitioner och mål kring hållbarhet och transparant kommunicera det till samtliga inom företaget så minskar det risken för greenwashing. Det är dessutom viktigt att all marknadsföring av hållbarhet granskas av experter, förslagsvis genom nära samarbete mellan hållbarhetsavdelning och marknadsföringsavdelning.

Cette recherche s‘attache à comprendre le phénomène de la contestation de la publicité environnementale. En effet, peu de recherches ont été conduites sur ce sujet. L'objectif de cette thèse est d'explorer les contours de la notion de contestation publicité environnementale tout en identifiant les raisons, les manifestations et les risques qui lui sont associés. Trois études empiriques, une qualitative et deux expérimentales, montrent que qu'il existe des motifs de contestation rattachés aux éléments de la publicité et d'autres liés à la confiance du consommateur envers les publicités vertes. En outre, les manifestations de la contestation peuvent aller de mouvements collectifs et visibles à des comportements plus individuels comme l'évitement et le rejet de la publicité environnementale. De plus, la contestation semble présenter un impact négatif sur l'image de l'entreprise et sur le comportement d'achat du consommateur. Enfin, les résultats indiquent que la provocation - un moyen utilisé par les entreprises selon la littérature pour éviter pas la contestation- a d‘effets négatifs sur les perceptions et les des consommateurs envers la publicité. À la lumière des résultats obtenus, les limites de la thèse sont exposées et les futurs axes de recherche sont proposés. / This research seeks to analyze the phenomenon of environmental advertising contestation. In effect, there is a shortage of studies on these issues. The objective of this thesis is to explore the contours of the environmental advertising contestation concept while identifying the reasons, the manifestations and the risks associated with it. Three empirical studies, one qualitative and two experimental, show that that there are reasons of contestation related to creative elements of advertisement and discourse advertisements and others linked to advertising medium and confidence of consumer toward the advertising source. Moreover, the manifestations of contestation can range from collective and visible movements to more individual behaviors such as avoidance and the rejection of environmental advertising. In addition, the contestation seems to have a negative impact on consumer buying behavior and on the firm's image. Finally, the results indicate that provocation- a tool used by companies according to literature to avoid contestation- has negative effects on consumers‘ perceptions and attitudes toward the advertisement. In the light of the obtained results, the limitations of the thesis are outlined and future avenues of research are proposed.

El siguiente ensayo tiene como propósito demostrar la influencia y efecto que puede tener una herramienta de inmersión y participación comunicativa en el consumidor, como el Storytelling Transmedia; con un discurso repetido por parte de diversas marcas, como lo es el eco-amigable. La importancia de demostrar los efectos que puede tener esta estrategia de narrativa en un discurso, que en la actualidad genera desconfianza y falta de credibilidad por parte de un consumidor comprometido y preocupado, es corroborarla como una estrategia y recurso que puede ser adoptado por las marcas para generar un vehículo para transmitir las ideas de marca y ser aceptadas de manera eficiente por el público objetivo. De igual manera, se corroboraría su extrapolación a otros ámbitos publicitarios con la finalidad de tener una conversación verídica y creíble con los usuarios. / The following essay aims to demonstrate the influence and effect that a tool of immersion and communicative participation in the consumer can have, such as the Transmedia Storytelling; with a repeated speech by various brands, as is the eco-friendly trend. The importance of demonstrating the effects that this narrative strategy can have in a discourse, that currently generates distrust and lack of credibility by part of a committed and concerned consumer, is to corroborate it as a strategy and resource that can be adopted by brands to generate a vehicle to transmit brand ideas and be efficiently accepted by the target audience. Similarly, it's extrapolation to other advertising areas would be corroborated in order to have a true and credible conversation with users. / Trabajo de investigación