It’s no secret that colors reflect and directly affect our moods and emotions. Different colors send different signals which are either stimulating, soothing or enticing. Lets take a look at color…
As a marketing consultant I have helped my clients use color to both promote and sell their products. The astonishing power of color is evident everywhere. Colors are used to sell us on everything from clothing to light bulbs and much more. Marketing companies have spent millions of dollars over the past several decades researching how color is used to influence people’s perceptions, ideas & habits.
Fortune 500 companies have used this data to promote and sell products in every category imaginable including furniture, automobiles, beverages, sporting goods, foods and toys.
Throughout history certain groups of people have used color as a kind of personal “brand identification”. In current times, we use color brand identification to display our affiliations.
Universities alumni sport bright colored sweaters. On field trips school kids wear the same color T-shirt. Johnny cash wore all black and Michael Jackson wore a white glove!
If you understand colors and how they are used to effect people you will be able to determine the individual color preferences of anyone with whom you will be interacting. Whether its for business or pleasure you should be able to select the most effective colors for any item or occasion. We are going to briefly cover how colors can be used to influence what people buy, and how you can use colors to sell anything to anyone!
QUICK, what colors come to your mind first when we say:
~Tide laundry detergent
~Coke
~ Wrigley gum
Did you answer orange, Red & green? Congratulations! You are a typical consumer. Lets look at the most popular colors and how these colors effect us.
RED: Of all the colors red causes the most active responses. Red was the first color after white and black to be given a name. Red is the most important warm color which stirs strong emotions. Red is a color we associate with both love and anger! Red is a strong powerful color that shoots out at us.
ORANGE: Orange like red is a warm color which causes increased heart rate and pulse. Orange demands our attention which is one of the reasons its used by construction workers, hunters and worn in school cross walks. When we think of orange we think of cheerful, refreshing and sunny but we also think of it as cheap. Consumers have come to associate orange with low cost with many companies including Home Depot.
YELLOW: Yellow alerts us and catches our attention because yellow is the most reflective. It is the first color we see. Black and yellow together suggest danger. Marketing and advertisers know that black type on yellow paper is the easiest on the eyes. Just think about the yellow pages. Yellow is perceived as upbeat, lively and cheerful.
GREEN: Green can send a variety of different signals and emotions. When we add more yellow to green it gets more exciting than before. When we add more blue to green it becomes more calming. In more darker shades it is associated with reliability and durability. If we add too much yellow to green it looks out of ordinary which could set off a negative response.
BLUE: Blue is the most popular of all colors in America. Blue can be both calming and soothing giving us a sense of well being. It is linked with loyalty, reliability and honor. Blue is literally a “cool” color that seems to recede from us, rather than advance toward us like red. Darker blues are considered businesslike, dependable and professional. Blue is passive and can sometimes be perceived as boring or depressing.
WHITE: White is associated with innocence, purity, cleanliness and virginity. We view white as classic, timeless and subtle. However, white has also been associated with white lies and surrender.
BLACK: Black is associated with sophistication, elegance and sex. Black is the color of night, death, black magic, illegality and rejection. Black can also be associated with fear, anger and depression. You can find nearly any item in black these days which hints of strength, power and sophistication.
YOUTHFUL COLORS: Red, yellow and green
PROFESSIONAL/BUSINESS COLORS: Dark grey, black & dark blue.
DURABLE/STURDY COLORS: Dark browns and black.
USE RED: when you want to grab attention or communicate something emphatically. Use it to stimulate people and have them perceive you as powerful. Be careful not to use too much red as it can be exhausting and distracting.
USE PINK: When you want to signal warmth delicacy and femininity.
USE ORANGE: Use orange when you want to grab attention or convey creativity and signal “low cost”. Too much orange can be harsh, jarring and exhausting.
USE BLUE: Use blue when you want to be relaxed and calm, or when you want to play it safe. Blue is a conservative color, signaling value and reliability.
USE BLACK: Use black to suggest power, dominance, elegance and sophistication. You can use it to signal strength.
USE GREY: Use grey to appear conservative, businesslike and smart.
USE WHITE: Use white when you want to signal simplicity, purity and cleanliness. Keep in mind that in some situations white can mean something cold, artificial, plain or cheap.
What are the Favorite Colors of American Consumers?
This post is only a brief introduction to colors and their use in the marketplace. If you are in marketing, advertising, sales or design you should take the time to research colors more in depth so you can use colors as a tool to establish a competitive edge in the marketplace.
There is a vast amount of information on the internet about colors and their use in the marketplace. Start with a simple google search or head down to your local library to learn more about the astonishing power of color.
