Opinions are mixed when it comes to using branding color in marketing. Some feel that using specific colors will entice consumers to take a desired action, while those at the other end of the spectrum feel that branding color makes no impact at all. As with most things, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Consumers rarely make purchasing decisions based on color alone. Instead, they consider color in context with their culture, childhood experiences, and their personal preferences.
Research Statistics on the Impact of Color Branding
According to a recent study published by Branding Strategy Insider, colors can have a have a major effect on emotional state. Here are some of the top findings related to branding and marketing:
- Primary colors tend to excite the emotions and senses while non-primary colors have the opposite effect.
- The color blue is the most calming.
- Red makes people feel hungrier and also leave a restaurant faster after eating. Orange can have a similar impact but to a lesser degree. Fast food restaurants tend to adopt red and/or orange into their logo and menu for these reasons.
- Deep forest green and burgundy colors appeal to the extremely wealthy and helps to increase what the consumer sees as the item’s perceived value.
- Merchandisers sometimes use orange to make a high-priced item seem less expensive.
- Black signifies sophistication and elegance to some people.
- Yellow has the perception of making people happy.
Branding Color Helps to Shape Perceptions
The color of clothing, fast food packaging, a new car, or another consumer product can help people make faster buying decisions on one condition: they must perceive that the color used to promote the brand is appropriate and matches it well. In other words, it needs to fit naturally with what a marketer is trying to sell, or it will come across to the consumer as a gimmick. Lack of authenticity in branding is a big turn-off for people accustomed to having advertisers market to them personally.
People tend to purchase most often from brands that they instantly recognize. Color branding can play a big role in how quickly recognition takes place. Choosing colors distinctively different from the competition is a simple way to stand out, especially in a crowded industry. When choosing company colors, it’s important to consider the mood, feeling, and image that the business wants to display.
Need Help Choosing the Best Colors for Your Business?
Selecting colors for your company’s logo, signage, print material, and packaging is a crucial part of strategy development. We invite you to request a coaching session with visionPATH Marketing to learn more about how to put color to work for you.