Giving Green a Second Thought : Modeling the Value Retention of Green Products in the Secondary Market

Demand for green products continues to grow. This research examines green products’ retention of value and whether new green brands differ from green brand extensions in their ability to retain value amidst technological innovations. Modeling of data from the used car market between 2004 and 2011 shows that hybrid (i.e., green) vehicles lose value faster than their non-hybrid counterparts. However, pure green brands (such as the Prius), whose ability to express greenness is more salient, lose value at a slower rate than green brand extensions. Compared with brand extensions, pure green brands are also less vulnerable to the threat of obsolescence from technological innovations (introduction of fully electric vehicles). Implications for the management and marketing of green product offerings to extract maximum value for firms and consumers are discussed and suggestions for future research are proposed