Never Underestimate the Power of Color

By Jeanette McMurtry, Principle, e4marketing

As marketers, we spend a great deal of time and money crafting strategies, messages, catchy headlines, or compelling offers in hopes of capturing the attention and business of our target consumers.  Yet according to several different studies on what most influences purchase decisions at the point of sale, the above components of a marketing campaign pale in importance to the choice of colors we use in our design. Research conducted by the Institute for Color Research reveals that we consumers make an unconscious judgment about a product, person, and our environment within 90 seconds of introduction, and that color influences up to 90% of our assessment.

While color has different meanings in different cultures, e.g., yellow is caution, cowardly or fun in the U.S. and represents royalty and prosperity in parts of Asia, color is universal in its influence on our reactions and attitudes towards products, messages, and brands, and even people. Most often, according to Diane Roggow, principal of Market Illumination and an expert in how color impacts marketing, color dictates how we feel about a brand without our realizing it. Yet when it comes to color choices in marketing, they are most often made according to personal preference rather than strategic reasoning, and this can negatively affect a brand’s image and sales.

For example, says Roggow, many brands use red and black, as they are clean and bold, yet when used together they can create feelings or attitudes of hostility or unfriendliness. “If you use red and black in your logo and combine it with a tagline stating ‘great customer service’, you’re likely sending mixed signals to your consumer as their conscious mind sees ‘friendly’ in your words while the unconscious mind feels threatened,” says Roggow.

Another example Roggow cites is Black and Decker and their use of black and yellow. Per Roggow, these colors are predatory colors and create a sense of dominance, or “top cat” if you will. As a consultant, Roggow has seen clients move inventory that sat idle for a long time generate significantly higher response or desired awareness of brand attributes by simply changing the color of products or brand iconology.

Color not only taints our perception but our responsiveness to marketing materials as well, or so says independent research by Jan Whit, Ronald Green, and Virginia Johnson, which collectively state:
* Color versions of the same ad are read up to 42% more than their black and white counterparts
* Color is 80% more likely to be read than black and white marketing materials
* Consumers tend to find information in color up to 80% faster than information in black and white only
* Communications materials produced in color increase leaning and retention up to 78%

And according to research by Frank Romano for the Digital Printing Council, when you add color to a direct marketing piece, the response rate can increase by 45%.

These are no small numbers. Yet I think it’s safe to say that most marketers spend far less time planning color schemes than messaging themes. Roggow has seen many a sound color strategy rooted in psychological research killed by a CEO who simply wanted something else.

So what does this mean for you and your marketing programs?

1. Make Changes Slowly: It may not be prudent to go about changing your corporate identity overnight because you discover the colors of your logo don’t represent your brand attributes. But you can perhaps apply some color psychology to your advertising and direct marketing materials.

2. Do Your Homework: Find out how colors have different meanings for different cultures both in and out of the United States, and how even different tones of the same color can change meanings.

3. Examine Color Combinations: Also, per Roggow’s suggestion, find out how combining colors can hurt or help you.

Some examples:

• Direct Mail: If you are trying to create a sense of status or privilege for your brand and those that use your products, try using tones of purple as it symbolizes wealth, nobility, luxury and extravagance.
• Display ads: If you want your brand to stand out on the page or in a publication as the stable, trustworthy choice for your business category, use blue, as it symbolizes all of the above. As Roggow says, it is no mistake that many banks use shades of blue in their company color palettes.
• Brochures/Annual Report: If you want to communicate growth, harmony, safety, security, and even stability, use shades of green and blue.

There are many resources available to help you get a better understanding of how to use color to visually create the power of your brand.  Whatever resource you use, use something. The visuals you use to promote your brand are no small matter. The total imagery, not just your color palette, defines your brand’s level of sophistication, expertise, quality and success immediately to your audience, and creates a first impression that cannot easily be redone.

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About the Author

Jeanette McMurtry specializes in emotionally-relevant marketing and sales training for health care and other businesses, and presents frequently at international conferences on marketing and sales. She is the principal of e4marketing and can be reached at jeanette@e4marketingco.com or 970-390-6909.