Procedure and questionnaire
We used a mixed subjects design, including four within-subject
variables and two between-subject variables. Participants rated
16 product scenarios that were systematically varied on the four
within-subject variables. The product scenarios systematically
varied on price (two levels: high price, low price), brand equity
(two levels: well-known brand, unknown brand), cruelty (two
levels: animal tested, not animal tested), and environmental
impact (two levels: produced with a high or low carbon footprint).
The 16 scenarios were randomised to avoid any order
effects. The 16 product scenarios were laid out in the following
way: ‘A moisturiser costs £4.99 [low cost]/£34.99 [high cost]
and is sold by a brand that is/is not very well known. It has/
has not been tested on animals and the manufacturer has a
high/low carbon footprint.’ The prices of the product were based
on the highest and lowest prices in the daily moisturiser market
of the UK (February 2012).