Since the beginning, color has been a critical element of understanding our environment. Isaac Newton provided a scientific basis for understanding color through a spectrum of visible light. Since then, the modern world has used colors to communicate, influence, and structure our world.
Britannica noted that the most important aspect of color in daily life involves aesthetic and psychological responses. It influences art, fashion, commerce, and even physical and emotional sensations.
With a vibrant and engaging society, it should come as no surprise that most marketing sectors have used color to steer the conversation and promote their brands. Using the psychology of color, marketing has never been easier.
When you’re driving down the road and suddenly see a sign with a splash of red, yellow, and white in the distance. Immediately you might think of burgers and fries. Why? Probably because McDonald’s famous yellow “M” came to mind.
Colors stay with you and get cataloged with certain brands in your head. Color psychology is the study of how color affects human behavior. Specific colors, hues, and tones are quickly associated with specific moods or situations.
However, according to Britannica, color harmony, color preferences, color symbolism, and other psychological aspects of color are culturally conditioned and vary considerably with both place and historical periods.
A cross-cultural study showed that while Americans and Japanese see the concept of warm and cold colors essentially the same, the Japanese see blue and green hues as “good” while the red-purple range is “bad”. This contrasts how the red-yellow-green range is considered “good” in America while the oranges and red-purple range are “bad”.
When it comes to marketing, consumer psychology is used to predict how customers will react to specific products or brands. Color plays a large role in this impact. The right color choice can influence consumers to buy your product, invest in your service, and trust your brand.
The Impact of Color in Marketing study found that up to 90% of snap judgments made about products can be based on color alone - depending on the product. The study also notes that purchasing intent is greatly affected by colors due to the impact they have on how a brand is perceived.
When you’re pacing the aisles looking for a product, your attention is going to be drawn in by the colors you see. Further research has shown that colors can also increase brand awareness by 80% while influencing 85% of a shopper’s purchase decisions.
The colors used in marketing your product have a deep effect on behavior, mood, and stress levels.
Marketing your brand, product, or service is all about persuasion. Your main goal is to provoke a specific reaction through your choices. Most stores use psychological techniques to subtly influence purchase choices already.
Think about how specific aisles always snake around the checkout queue – ready with candy and snacks for curious children or tired shoppers. Casinos also use concentric structures to prevent players from leaving and encourage them to use their winnings to keep gambling. There are marketing ploys all around us – pushing you to consume more, buy more, and stay longer.
Color is one of the many psychological tools used to market a product or brand successfully. The color of a product relays its value, appeal, and mood. Consumers are more likely to buy from brands that use specific colors.
According to Color Psychology, most tech firms tend to use blue or green - which creates a sense of liveliness, calm, and refreshment. This drives up screen-time usage for social media platforms. Typically, financial institutions will use blue to create a sense of trust, security, and dependability.
Retail outlets, on the other hand, will use orange or green as their brand colors to drive a sense of cheerful optimism and stability. Most food outlets have shades of red in their logos or stores because of the color’s perceived ability to whet people’s appetites.
In the 1950s, Pepsi used light-blue painted vending machines in South East Asia. Unfortunately, they didn’t know that the color was associated with mourning and death there - which led to sales collapsing.
The color theory also affected the Heinz company when they switched the color of their ketchup from red to green. Heinz ketchup sales shot up more than US$ 23 million - with 10 million bottles sold in just seven months.
95% of the world’s most famous companies use only one or two colors for their logos - only 5% have more than two colors.
As we’ve mentioned, different colors have a different appeal depending on your target market. We take a look at what some of the main colors are conveying to consumers:
Sourced from HowToArtist
The color red is usually associated with strong emotions. Evoking a sense of urgency, passion, and intensity – red is thought to speed up heart rates, increase appetites, and create a sudden need for action. This is why the color is used for fast-food franchises and clearance sales in retail stores. The color can also be associated with survival and health.
Blue is considered one of the most powerful colors when it comes to promoting reliability, trust, and tranquility. The fastest association with blue is water and the sky – both creating a sense of serenity and safety. Products or platforms using blue tend to instill trust and confidence in users. The color is also associated with productivity, communication, and loyalty – which is why most social media platforms use it to promote interaction.
Yellow is undoubtedly the one color most associated with happiness. Yellow signifies sunshine and evokes feelings of optimism, creativity, and community. According to research, it’s also the first color that infants react to – which is why it’s used in most baby products and toys. Yellow also has the longest wavelength which makes it stand out more and draws attention. This means that too much of the color can induce anxiety – which some companies use to lure in impulsive buyers.
The color green is usually associated with nature, health, and power. Companies and products use green for eco-friendly and health-conscious narratives. Green evokes a sense of growth, tranquility, and wealth.
Purple is a rare color in nature and is therefore associated with uniqueness. The color is often associated with royalty, wisdom, and success. It can also be associated with femininity and glamour. This makes it ideal for cosmetics companies and creative brands.
Orange is typically associated with affordability, warmth, and accessibility. However, the color can be slightly aggressive when marketing – which is helpful to target impulse buyers.
While it may seem bland, white is often associated with simplicity, intelligence, and purity. It also gives a sense of professionalism and intelligence – think white lab coats. It can be useful for brands to create contrast and spike creativity. For example, Google uses a white background to create contrast on their home pages. This invites the start of a conversation and signifies the blank canvas before your search begins.
In marketing, the color black can be tricky to work with. While most associations with dark colors lean into negative symbolism, the color black can also represent power, wealth, and elegance from a psychological standpoint. Most banks use black cards for wealthier clients while retail brands choose black for a sleek and sophisticated look.
Choosing the ideal color to represent your brand needs to be a well-researched and informed task. Your product’s color choice needs to reflect what your product represents. Your brand’s color choice needs to be appropriate for your audience and product.
As we’ve mentioned, colors have distinct meanings across cultures. Color can also have different impacts according to gender and preferences. Joe Hallock researched color preferences and found that while the “blue is for boys and pink is for girls” narrative keeps growing, blue is the preferred color across genders.
Additional research showed that men prefer bolder colors while women prefer softer colors. Men are also more likely to select shades of colors as their favorites while women are more receptive to tints of colors.
Using the psychology of color, you can transform your marketing reach and elevate your business. However, your brand needs to be amplified through more than just visuals. That’s why TMG Global is here to enhance your brand’s voice as well through skilled, intricate, and dedicated copywriting. Contact TMG Global today for a free content audit or to learn more about how we can help your brand grow.
