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The Colour of Marketing Success

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21 December 2015

The Colour of Marketing Success

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Colours, sounds and smells affect us more powerfully than we realise. When it comes to choosing colours for a logo or marketing materials, few agents think very hard about the choice beyond what looks good, and how it might work in comparison to the competition’s colours. But colour can be a powerful tool when it comes to evoking particular associations, memories and emotions in customers and prospects. 

While we’re not suggesting anyone run out and change their brand colours, you can certainly make those colours work in more effective and memorable ways.

Some background

We like to feel like the decisions we make are rational, but there are all kinds of factors that are constantly influencing us in ways we don’t release. A recent New Yorker article outlined research by scientist Charles Spence into food packaging; in one study, Spence asked subjects to bite into chips, using an amplifier or equaliser to make the crunch louder or softer. All the chips were the same, but participants whose crisps crunched more loudly felt full faster. Other studies found that strawberry mousse tasted sweeter when served in a white container, and coffee tasted stronger and more bitter when drunk from a white mug. It’s estimated that about half of our experience of eating and drinking is determined by sight, touch and sound, rather than flavour alone. Increasingly, findings like these are being adopted by food manufacturers to improve packaging designs, and there are applications to other industries too – like real estate marketing.

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What influence does colour have? 

Colours can provoke powerful responses, and it’s important to understand what impact the various tones you work with can have on your advertising. Whether you want to enhance and take advantage of your brand colours, or are thinking about the shades that will complement your logo and seize attention in the letterbox, here’s what to keep in mind.

Warm vs. cool

Warm shades include red, orange and yellow, while cool tones include blue, green and purple. Warm colours are energetic and inviting, while cool colours are relaxing and soothing. What kind of impact do you want to make on the people who experience your marketing?

Colours across cultures

Keep in mind that colours can have different associations in different cultures. For example, red is a powerful symbol of good fortune for the Chinese, while in India white is the colour of mourning and is worn at funerals. 

Yellow: This is the first shade the human eye notices. It’s highly visible, which is why many street signs are yellow (it can also represent caution). It symbolises happiness, energy, and encouragement. Light shades are breezy and easygoing, while darker yellows are considered more oppressive. 

Orange: Think ambition, endurance and strength. It has the same cheerful effect as yellow, but the effect is intensified because it’s closer to red. Orange can work especially well as an accent, but can be too busy when used as a dominant shade.     

Red: Few colours command the attention that red does. It can make a powerful statement, so it’s vital to use it correctly, depending on the effect you want to create. Red is bold, serious and strong, representing fire, rage, passion and love. It also symbolises aggression, excitement, action and even danger. It can be softened when mixed with white, while darker shades are more obviously passionate and angry. 

Blue: Blue is safe and conservative – there are few negative connotations for blue throughout any culture. It’s cool and calm, representing peace, security, intelligence and strength. It’s a popular shade in business – many of our clients use shades of blue in their brand colors – and while it’s a safe choice, there’s no denying that those who use can find it harder to standout at times. Popular social media websites like Twitter and Facebook use blue, while newspaper mastheads use it to indicate trust and integrity. It’s rarely used on food packaging because some studies have demonstrated that it suppresses appetite. 

Green: Calming and natural, green conjures perceptions of balance, nature and hope. The shade of green can make a big difference: teal indicates health and stability, while olive green represents peace and harmony. Dark greens stand for affluence, stability, safety and ambition. While green is typically pleasing to the eye, keep in mind that it can have negative connotations too, like illness or jealousy. 

Brown: Stands for nature and humility. It’s a neutral shade and ideal for balancing out stronger colours. Light brown is considered genuine, while dark brown can be quite luxurious with connotations of rich woods and fine leathers. 

Grey: Another neutral, grey represents exclusivity and can be used to highlight and enhance neighbouring colours. 

Black: Elegant and classy, black does have some prominent negative connotations. Despite this, it provides a pleasing contrast with other shades and can be dramatic and stylish when used well. 

White: White is a powerful tool when wielded well; white space on a great design is clean and modern. It stands for innocence, purity and truth, but also works well as a neutral because of its conservative simplicity. The clarity that white provides can really bring a design to life, depending on what contrasting shades are being used. 

How much consideration do you give to the use of colour in your marketing? 

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