Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Colors Connect with Consumers

Without thinking twice you can tell me what color is used for the Target logo or McDonald's infamous arches. These are just two examples of companies/brands that strategically use color to appeal to customers.

Colors influence how consumers view the "personality" of a brand. According to a study called Impact of Color in Marketing, researchers found that up to 90% of snap judgments made about products can be based on color alone. Take a look at the Emotion Guide to the right  and the overall feeling associated with each color.

The psychology behind colors in branding is based on things like color coordination, stark visual contrasts, and on color preferences by gender. My favorite example for this is the ruggedness associated with the Harley-Davidson brand. It obviously wouldn't attract the same audience if the logo had pink and glittery! There's a reason for that - men prefer bight colors and for Harley-Davidson, men make up a larger percentage of their ideal buyers.

I especially enjoyed Marketo's True Colors Infographic as it detailed consumer reactions to different colors and for which industry those colors were most popular. There isn't an easy, clear-cut set of guidelines for choosing your brand's colors, but the colors used in your logo, website landing pages, and product are definitely worth your consideration.

Can you think of another brand or product where color helped it achieve its biggest impact? Leave a comment below!

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