Exploring the role of content marketing as a sustainability communication strategy in online audience engagement: Scoping review

Tribak Imad (2026) Exploring the role of content marketing as a sustainability communication strategy in online audience engagement: Scoping review. In: ESG - Risk Management or New Sustainability? VIII.BUEB International Sustainability Student ConferenceProceedings - Budapest University of Economics and Business 2025. Budapesti Gazdaságtudományi Egyetem, Budapest, Magyarország, pp. 1-37. ISBN 978-615-6886-27-9

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Abstract

This paper explores the role of content marketing as a sustainability communication strategy and its impact on online audience engagement. Through a comprehensive scoping review of 62 peer-reviewed studies published between 2012 and 2025, the research maps existing literature to identify how sustainability-focused content marketing strategies influence engagement, consumer behaviour, trust, and brand perception in digital spaces. Drawing on theoretical frameworks such as the Elaboration Likelihood Model, Social Exchange Theory, and the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the study finds that content marketing enhances engagement when messages are emotionally resonant, visually compelling, and aligned with consumers’ values and social norms. The results highlight several key drivers of engagement, including storytelling, authenticity, interactivity, and influencer credibility. Enhanced engagement was observed in 24 studies, with content that promoted transparency, relevance, and community involvement resulting in increased likes, shares, comments, and brand advocacy. Additionally, sustainability content fostered stronger brand perception and trust in 15 studies, while 10 studies linked such content to positive behavioural changes toward eco-friendly consumption. Conversely, content perceived as inauthentic or misleading, particularly in cases of greenwashing, often triggers scepticism and reduces engagement. The review also identifies gaps in the literature, such as the limited exploration of business-to-business and customer-to-customer contexts and the predominance of cross-sectional designs, which restrict causal inference. The paper concludes by recommending the strategic integration of credible, dialogical, and value-driven content into sustainability marketing efforts to foster deeper digital engagement and promote sustainable consumer behaviours.