Digital Sustainability Orientation and Green Brand Advocacy in Social Media Marketing: The Mediating Role of Digital Green Innovation and the Moderating Effect of Consumer Environmental Consciousness

This study examines the effects of digital sustainability orientation on consumers’ responses, with a focus on the roles of digital green innovation and consumer environmental consciousness in shaping green brand advocacy in social media marketing. Drawing on the Resource-Based View, Dynamic Capability perspective, and Signaling theory, the study proposes that sustainability-oriented digital strategies are more effective when translated into visible, credible forms of digital green innovation. Using the quantitative research design, data were collected from a sample of 300 Saudi Arabian consumers who interact with eco-friendly brands and sustainability-related content on digital platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok. The study used purposive and convenience sampling to ensure that participants were aware of sustainability communication online. Data analysis was performed using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the measurement and structural models and evaluate the hypotheses. The results show that the direct positive effect of digital sustainability orientation on digital green innovation is high, but there is no direct effect on green brand advocacy. However, digital green innovation fully mediates this relationship, making the importance of tangible innovation even greater in turning sustainability intentions into consumer support. Moreover, consumer environmental consciousness plays a significant moderating role in the relationship between digital sustainability orientation and green brand advocacy, suggesting that the more environmentally conscious consumers are, the more responsive they are to sustainability-driven digital strategies. The study contributes to the available literature on digital sustainability and green marketing by showing that being sustainability-oriented is not enough to encourage consumer advocacy without having credible innovation. Practically speaking, the findings show that organizations must pay attention to innovation-based sustainability initiatives and develop genuine digital communication strategies to attract environmentally conscious consumers. Ultimately, the research serves as a great reminder of the importance of integrating digital innovation, sustainability practices, and consumer engagement as key drivers of strong green brand advocacy.