The Power of Colour in Advertising

Close your eyes for a moment and attempt to picture life in black and white with me.

What was that like? bland and devoid of emotion or purpose?

That is the impact it has on your imagination alone, therefore it will undoubtedly alter how you view businesses and advertisements. 

Color in advertising plays an important role in how a brand is perceived, as well as how people think about and behave toward a brand. It can increase attention to advertising, influence product choice, and prompt action, among other impacts. It also contributes to brand personality and helps with brand positioning. To accurately achieve this as a brand you need to understand color psychology.

What is Color Psychology?

Color psychology is simply the study of how the use of color influences behavior and decision-making. In marketing, as someone has said, “Color speaks louder than words.” Thus, an understanding of color’s influence in persuasion offers powerful benefits to the success of all advertising efforts. 

Here are a couple of ways color affects Advertising: 

It Grabs the Attention Of Your Audience Or Target Market 

Color is the first characteristic that individuals notice in a sign or ad, before they see slogans or product images and models. Thus, your choice of color in advertising is extremely important in determining the overall visibility and scope of your advertisement. Using vibrant colors to catch customers’ eyes will encourage them to look further at your advertisement so it can get your message across and reach your target audience.

It Influences Mood and Emotions 

Color is also closely tied to feelings and moods, and can thus influence the way customers feel about your ad. Choosing a color that is associated with or encourages positive feelings will make customers more likely to think about your ad and your company in a positive light, even if they do so subconsciously. Furthermore, using colors associated with certain attributes, such as blue for purity or green for sustainability, can further encourage clients to associate these characteristics with your products and services in positive ways.

It Highlights Your Products 

Particularly when you are using an advertisement to highlight a certain product, using colors that complement the visual appearance of the product is a beneficial strategy. By incorporating colors that make your product stand out and look more attractive, you’ll will increase the likelihood that customers will seek out and purchase your product because it appeals to them.

As stated above different colors can evoke different emotions in people. This is because colors are associated with certain meanings and messages. The color you prefer always depends on the situation. You may think you have only one favorite, but there are probably several.

The right color selection can send out a powerful message to the viewer. Even before the advert has been read and understood. The following are some examples of color and its effect on marketing.

Red Color

Marketing brands use red frequently, and for a good reason. As a result, brands utilize this powerful tone to convey characteristics such as:

• Courage
• Boldness
• Action
• Passion

Traditionally, the color red signifies love and joy, as well as luck in Chinese culture. Several brands use red in their logos to demonstrate these characteristics, such as:

• Netflix
• YouTube 
• TIME magazine

Studies show that seeing red speeds up our blood flow, causing our metabolism to speed up and making us feel hungry. As a result, brands like McDonald’s, KFC, Mr. Biggs, Pizza Hut, and Coke use this tone. Brands that use red convey a sense of passion and courage.

Pink Color

The color pink has been associated with femininity for more than a century, even though it wasn’t always the case. Currently, brands use tone to communicate characteristics such as:

• Gentleness
• Love
• Immaturity
• Affection   

Pink is a choice of color for brands looking to appeal to female audiences and evoke youthful playfulness. Both Victoria’s Secret and their sub-brand Pink, as well as Barbie, use pink.

To transcend gender roles, other brands like Lyft, Lush Hair and Instagram are also incorporating different shades of pink. This is an attempt to relate to a wide range of characteristics beyond femininity. Brands that use pink convey a feeling of gentleness and care.

Blue Color Psychology

Instead of painting your storefront orange, you should paint it blue if you want to inspire loyalty. Cool hues are more likely to draw customers back to a store than harsher warm hues, according to research. The color blue can also be used to express other characteristics besides loyalty, such as:

• Stability
• Peace
• Calm

Brands like Ford and Facebook use blue to express these emotions. Brands that use blue convey a sense of trust, peace, and calm. 

For more information on other colors and their effects, as well as frequent errors made when selecting brand colors for advertising and how to prevent them, stay tuned for Part 2.