Let’s say you’ve been thinking about how to jazz up your marketing efforts.
One of the first things you may have thought of is strategic use of color. After all, color is everywhere. It’s baked into just about every marketing campaign you can think of and as well as logos, digital billboards, and so on. Think about that chain Italian restaurant you patronize—the one that actually serves good food. Or the flyers you get from your local hardware store. Or the promotional email from the company that sold you your domain name.
Kevin Allen, who writes for Ragan’s PR Daily, has (with the help of Market Inspector) taken a look at the use of color in branding and given us a quick rundown of its language.
Here are a few fast facts:
- Red—Youthful, bold, passionate. Think Coca Cola, Oracle, Netflix, and (shudder) Marlboro. Red raises the pulse rate, attracts attention, and stimulates appetite. (I once read an article where the author’s mother told her that “the girl who wears the red dress to a party always has more fun.”)
- Blue—Strength, trust, reliability. Think Facebook, Ford, IBM, and Samsung. (I’ll spare you the snarky comments about fake news and exploding phones.)
- Yellow—Cheer, optimism, warmth. Think Best Buy, Ikea, McDonalds, and Goodyear. It’s an attention-grabber and supposedly stimulates mental processes. Anyone remember the smiling Schweppes guy with the gin and tonic?
- Green—Tranquility, growth, and health. Think BP (!), John Deere, Starbucks, and Heineken. Financial brands and those that want to promote themselves as eco-friendly love green.
- Orange—Confidence, friendliness, enthusiasm. Think Firefox, Fanta, Harley-Davidson, and Home Depot. Orange may be the new orange. On the other hand, I’ve read or heard someplace that orange can be irritating to some. (My late mother could not stand Lucille Ball. Perhaps it was the hair.) I think a little orange can go a long way.
- Neutral (black, shades of gray)—Balance, calm, premium. Think Amazon, Audi, Louis Vuitton, and Nike. These brands and others whose logos are neutral color-based promote that top-of-heap image.
I love color and acknowledge its power over my thinking and decision making. Like many others, I’ve turned away from purchases if the color of the logo or the packaging just wasn’t right and turned toward them if the color resonated.
I’d be curious to know about the colors that turn you on and those that turn you off.
opicobello / 123RF Stock Photo
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