Marketing Hacks: Color Psychology 101

by Katherine White, Guest Contributor

The colors that a company incorporates into a brand will motivate consumers’ decisions. With more than half of shoppers heavily influenced by the color of a product, it’s crucial that marketers have a good understanding of the psychology behind it. Integrating the right colors into products, advertisements and logos can be a determining factor in its success.
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Color Theory
When first coming in contact with a color, consumers can immediately make a judgment based on what they see. It’s in the marketers’ best interest to create several visuals to find the best colors to integrate. Before getting into choosing colors, you need to know who you’re targeting because colors are perceived differently depending on your audience. For example, men prefer bold colors so if you’re targeting women, you don’t want to use a dark blue color. However, the color theory goes much more beyond the surface then just gender. Someone’s age, culture, location, job, experience and family status can all determine how they view color. Once you’ve analyzed who you’re targeting, you want to decipher how you want them to feel.

Colors
We typically associate the color yellow with ‘warning’ due to it being the color of traffic signals and alerts. However, yellow is also the color for optimism and happiness which is why many brands incorporate it into their logo or to their website. By integrating the color yellow into your brand, you’re going to grab the attention of consumers.

The color blue is often used for trust. It does curb appetite and is typically seen within financial institution logos such as American Express, Visa, and Finance Pal. This is for conservative brands who want consumers to instill confidence within their brand.

Red is the most frequently used color in marketing. It can thirst an appetite, create urgency, raise blood pressure and it’s also associated with love. Restaurants including McDonald's, Wendy’s and KFC utilize this color because it does invoke hunger. Others might use because it is a strong, primary color and gives off the same reaction regardless of the shade.

Authority and strength are often represented by the color black, but it can be overwhelming if it’s used too much. High-end brands such as Chanel and Louis Vuitton along with many car companies such as Audi use this color. This makes consumers feel powerful after making a purchase.

Pink is seen as a feminine color, which is why brands that use it target a female audience.  This includes brands like Barbie, Victoria Secret and Cosmopolitan. The color can also be a sign of hope and create a calming effect.

There is not a perfect color that your brand should be using. But, you should be asking yourself questions about what you want your consumers to feel when viewing your brand. Understanding color psychology will help you predict how customers will respond and help you influence consumers when they’re making purchasing decisions.
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Author bio:

Katherine White is a contributor for 365 Business Tips and specializes in digital marketing. She writes articles for businesses that want to explore different marketing strategies. ​

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