The importance of colour in marketing

How to think about colour in your marketing

When it comes to brands like McDonald’s, they owe a significant portion of their achievement to good colour pairings. A lot of fast food companies use the colours red and yellow, and this is not by accident. Red arouses hunger, appetite and calls for our attention, whereas yellow induces happiness and friendliness. They made a very good pairing there. As consumers, we don’t rely entirely on logic when making our purchasing decisions, there are many other external factors that contribute to us either wanting or not wanting to buy something.

Red

The colour red has historically been used to create a sense of urgency. It is associated with high energy, physical stimulus and excitement. Not only do brands use it to stand out, but think of stores that advertise discounts or sales on certain products. They tend to highlight this information in some sort of red decoration. It is meant to be attention grabbing, as we associate red with alertness. Brands such as Coca-Cola, Netflix, or Red Bull all use this to their marketing advantage.

Orange

Typically, orange has always been the colour of friendliness and cheerfulness. It is supposed to increase the mood and overall optimism about the product or company. Think of companies like Amazon, they literally have their orange arrow in the shape of a smile. Orange has been shown to activate the left side of the brain and promote enthusiasm. However, there are downsides to using too much orange, as it can lead to apprehension or uneasiness.

Yellow

Similar to orange, yellow is among the brightest colours and therefore the most attention grabbing. We are trained to feel immediate excitement and anticipation with brands that use yellow as their primary colour. Probably the most well-known example, McDonald’s, has the globally known “golden arches”, a landmark recognised around the world. Most of us have been excited for the red and yellow happy meals when we were kids.

Green

Associated with health, nature and freshness, green is a colour used by companies that want to promote innovation, trust, and a sense of a harmonious connection to the product. Most of the popular companies using green are those that are involved in some sort of natural product or promotion. Think of companies like John Deere, Tropicana or Lacoste. It is also used to create a sense of calm and relaxation in stores for shoppers.

Blue

Consider the feeling and sense of security, calmness, and a space of tranquillity. Blue is used to convey a sense of reliability and sturdiness in an environment and product. Many computer companies, such as Intel, IBM or Dell use blue to show this. It is the colour that is most associated with maturity and conservative brands in the corporate world. 

Purple

Normally, purple is connected to royalty, luxury and decadence. It is used to create a sense of high level creativity, service or a premium class of product. Think of brands like Crown Royal and Hallmark, they use purple in their branding to elicit the feeling of exclusivity with crowns used within their actual logos. Chocolatier companies like to use purple as well, such as Milka or Cadbury. 

Pink

Products and companies that use pink tend to aim their branding efforts towards a sense of comfortability and community connectedness. Many companies use it to promote femininity, passion, peace, and sweetness. It is popular in the food industry when you consider Dunkin’ Donuts or Baskin Robbins, both specialising in sweets, and in the tech sector we have LG, T-Mobile or Virgin Mobile for connectivity. It is also well known for social causes such as Breast Cancer Awareness, where companies use pink in their marketing for the month of October to help raise awareness.

Black

When you think of sophistication, power, and boldness, you tend to think of products that use black as a colour of choice. This is why the most luxurious brands in the world use black, such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Chanel and others. It is a very authoritative choice to use in a marketing campaign, so be careful to not overuse it as it can be overwhelming. Many sports and apparel brands use black such as Nike, Adidas and Puma, provoking a sense of stability and durability - important to the sports world.

The effect that colour has on us in everyday life is subtle so we don’t often think about it. This makes it a brilliant way of influencing your customers. Find the right colour combination to attract your target audience. It can be difficult, but quite important as it’s something to consider when building your next advertising campaign. 

At allbranded, we use the pantone colour matching system, to ensure your customised products will be made in exactly the shade you intended it to be. Something else to remember is that you aren’t just selling your products and services, you’re selling a lifestyle. To choose colours that are popular by people actually living that lifestyle, will go a long way towards making sure your customers identify with your brand.