Humanizing Green Brands to Foster Recommendation Intention: An Interplay of Brand Anthropomorphism, Brand Transparency, Brand Love, Brand Scepticism and Eco‐Label Credibility

ABSTRACT With the rise of environmental marketing claims, the challenge of fostering authentic consumer advocacy has become a key challenge for green brands. This study explores how attributing human‐like qualities to a green brand influences consumers' intention to recommend. We propose that anthropomorphism makes abstract environmental issues more relatable, activating unique socio‐cognitive processes in sustainable branding. Data were collected employing a cross‐sectional quantitative research design from 309 consumers, predominantly young and educated, a key group in sustainability consumption trends. The proposed model was tested with structural equation modelling (PLS‐SEM) using SmartPLS 4.1. Findings reveal that green brand anthropomorphism fosters recommendation intention both directly and indirectly through two mediation routes: a cognitive pathway via brand transparency (signalling authenticity) and an affective pathway through brand love (strengthening emotional connection). However, the distrust pathway via brand scepticism was not significant, revealing that anthropomorphism neither diminishes nor alleviates consumer doubt in this context. Additionally, although the moderating effect of eco‐label credibility was not statistically significant, a positive marginal trend suggests that credible eco‐label claims may somewhat enhance the impact of human‐like portrayals. These findings extend and validate anthropomorphism theory in sustainable marketing to clarify the cognitive, emotional and trust‐related mechanisms in green branding. Finally, they also provide insights for marketers and brand managers on leveraging anthropomorphic cues, transparency and credible certifications to support sustainable brand recommendations.