The Psychology of Color in Marketing

Ever notice that toys, books and children's web sites usually contain large blocks of bright, primary colors? Young children prefer these colors and respond more positively than they do to to pastels or muted blends. Market researchers have had a field day identifying the colors and the likely effect they have upon us. However, the effects of color differ among different cultures, so the attitudes and preferences of your target audience should be a consideration when you plan your design of any promotional materials. For example, white is the color of death in Chinese culture, but purple represents death in Brazil. Yellow is sacred to the Chinese, but signified sadness in Greece and jealousy in France. In North America, green is typically associated with jealousy. People from tropical countries respond most favorably to warm colors; people from northern climates prefer the cooler colors. In North American mainstream culture, the following colors are associated with certain qualities or emotions: Red --excitement, strength, sex, passion, speed, danger. Blue --(listed as the most popular color) trust, reliability, belonging, coolness. Yellow --warmth, sunshine, cheer, happiness Orange -- playfulness, warmth, vibrant Green -- nature, fresh, cool, growth, abundance Purple --royal, spirituality, dignity Pink -- soft, sweet, nurture, security White --pure, virginal, clean, youthful, mild. Black --sophistication, elegant, seductive, mystery Gold -- prestige, expensive Silver -- prestige, cold, scientific Market researchers have also determined that color affects shopping habits. Impulse shoppers respond best to red-orange, black and royal blue. Shoppers who plan and stick to budgets respond best to pink, teal, light blue and navy. Traditionalists respond to pastels - pink, rose, sky blue. Want to test some of this out? Check out web sites belonging to companies with marketing budgets that allow for extensive research into what sells best. Jaguar (http://www.jaguar.com) A luxury car with a luxury web site. There's a predominance of black (sophistication) and silver (prestige). Jaguar markets to people with high incomes who view themselves as sophisticated and look for a prestigious vehicle. Volkswagon Microbus (http://www.vw.com/microbus/) Check out the predominance of yellow (happiness) and orange (playfulness). Matches the type of owners that Volkswagon is trying to attract, don't you think? So how can you put this information to use? First, think about your target market. Let's say that you are selling books for young children, but you are marketing to grandparents. You'd probably design the books in bright, primary colors (reds, blues, yellows) to appeal to the children who will use them. However, the marketing materials (web site, brochures, etc.) would be designed with grandparents in mind. You might decide to go with blues (trust, reliability), pinks (nurture, sweet, security) and yellow (happy, playful). Of course, you would test your ads and colors on a small market segment before rolling out a large scale campaign. Give some thoughts to the message you want to send and to the psychology of the recipient. Then choose your colors accordingly.

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