THE IMPORTANCE OF

colors in marketing,
AND HOW IT INFLUENCES

CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

The importance of color

& visual appearance
Consumers give great consideration to color and visual appearance, and it
inuences their decision-making when it comes to purchases.
When making snap judgments in shopping, customers place
visual appearance and color over everything else.

93%

6%

1%

Visual Appearance

Texture

Sound or Smell

The following are the

best colors for different contexts
(for North American markets)

color

What it
Denotes

How it
Impacts the
Customer

Why do
Marketers
Apply it

how
Marketers
Apply it

Brands
with logo
sporting
the color

YELLOW

Optimistic,
Youthful,
Energetic

Associated with the

sun. First color seen
by the retina

Grabs attention of
window shoppers,
and attracts focus

It is a good accent
color when used in
moderation

Nikon, McDonalds,
Shell, Subway

red

Energy, Urgency,
Anger, Passion,
Youth

Red is an emotional
color that enhances
metabolism and
increases respiration

Known internationally
as a buying color.
Used extensively in
clearance sale and to
draw attention

Best used in small

amounts. Large
amounts can turn away
subtle customers

Hardees, KFC,
Coca-Cola,
Kelloggs, Lays

orange

Aggressive,
Enthusiastic,
Sexuality,
Creativity

Orange increases
oxygen supply to the
brain, producing an
invigorating eect

To create a call for

action - buy, sell,
subscribe

Best used sparingly.

Overuse may be
irritating for customers

Herms, Hooters,
Payless, Fanta,
Gulf Oil,
Harley Davidson

Denotes
absence of color
in the human mind

Mostly used to market

luxury products,
denotes highest in
class. Also used to
communicate glamour
and sophistication

Used extensively.
Black backgrounds
are common

Yves Saint Laurent,

Chanel,
iPhone box

Trust, Security,
Authority, Power

People associate blue

with sky and therefore
universally liked

Used by banks, money-related websites and

other large businesses
who are concerned with
long-term customer
relationships

Used extensively to
communicate
things, and to convey
dependency

Oral B,
Facebook, IBM,
Dell, HP, Vimeo

Wealth, Stability,
Calmness, Growth,
Well-being

Easiest color for

human eyes to process. Associated with
nature, money, luck

To create a soothing
or relaxing ambience,
used by entertainment
and leisure-related
websites

Used passively, in a
non-stimulating way,
mostly in backgrounds
or large fonts

Animal Planet,
BP, Land Rover,
Starbucks, Tropicana

pink

Feminine,
Romantic

Associated with
love, respect,
warmth

Used to market
products to female
gender, especially
young girls

Used both as
background and
fonts, extensively

Baskin Robbins,
Barbie, Donut King

purple

Creative,
Imaginative, Wise

Soothing and
calm eect, an
inviting feeling

Mostly used to
market beauty and
anti-aging products

Used both as
background and font

Barbie, Yahoo,
Cadbury, Lynx,
Taco Bell

Simplicity,
Cleanliness,
Innocence and
Purity

White usually
has a positive
connotation

Used extensively in
health-related products, to denote cleanliness, and in high-tech
products, to denote
simplicity

White is the default color and

used extensively as
backgrounds

Most logos have

white. Google, Twitter, Huawei, Microsoft, Redframe, and
many others have
white backgrounds

brown

Warmth, Safety,
Reliability,
Dependability

Brown is a relaxing
and casual color, the
color of wood, the
earth and nature.
Conveys tradition and
neutrality

Marketers use brown

to convey a feeling of
warmth, honesty and
wholesomeness

Used usually to
generate a rugged
appeal

M&M
UPS

gray

A neutral color, it
denotes maturity
(as gray hair of old
people does),
Balance, Calmness

Used
extensively

Swarovski,
Mercedes,
Telegraph,
Honda, Puma

black

blue

Green

white

Powerful
and Sleek

Gray color
anesthetizes the
mind and infuses
calmness, serenity

Marketers apply
gray to achieve
a simple and
clean look

https://blog.kissmetrics.com/color-psychology/?wide=1
https://kelseysconsumerbehavior.wordpress.com/2011/10/27/how-does-color-affect-consumer-behavior/
http://www.gaumina.ie/color-affect-buyer-behaviour/
http://www.surveycrest.com/blog/6-revealing-facts-about-color-psychology/
http://udel.edu/~rworley/e412/Psyc_of_color_final_paper.pdf
http://www.fastwebmedia.com/blog/how-does-color-affect-consumer-behaviour/2015-01-13/
http://www.vt.edu/spotlight/innovation/2013-04-22-consumers/color.html

Reference:

http://www.helpscout.net/blog/psychology-of-color/
http://www.joehallock.com/edu/COM498/preferences.html
https://www.nuvonium.com/blog/view/the-importance-of-color-in-marketing
http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/role-color-marketing-infographic
http://www.blurgroup.com/blogs/group/the-impact-of-color-in-advertising-marketing-and-design/
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/233843
http://www.businessinsider.com/branding-and-the-psychology-of-color-2012-12?op=1
https://posthistorical.wordpress.com/tag/victoriana/
http://www.creativebloq.com/branding/amazing-uses-color-6133196
http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html

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