editor’s letter
Marketing with Color
Stephanie K. De Long
Bag the browns and oranges, reports customer analytics company KISSmetrics. Its blog is a veritable treasure trove of information on how color—in everything from store design to advertising—can impact consumers and purchasing patterns.
Why no orange or brown? They’re the colors that both sexes dislike the most. Their favorites and, thus, the ones KISSmetrics suggests can have the most positive impact on purchasing when used in-store, for example, are blue and purple for women and blue, green, and black for men.
TONES AND TINTS
Here are more specifics about what colors mean for buying according to an infographic produced by KISSmetrics:
YELLOW. Optimistic… “used to grab attention of window shoppers.”
RED. Energy, urgency… “increases the heart rate; often seen in clearance sales.”
BLUE. Trust, security… “seen with banks and businesses.”
GREEN. Wealth… “easiest color to process, used to relax in stores.”
ORANGE. Aggressive… “creates a call to action: subscribe, buy, or sell.”
PINK: Romantic, feminine… “used to market to women and girls.”
PURPLE. Soothing, calming… “often seen in beauty and anti-aging products.”
BLACK. Powerful, sleek… “used to market luxury products.”
For tips on using colors in your business, check out these resources: KISSmetrics’ blog (blog.kissmetrics.com/color-psychology/); an article by Buffer co-founder Leo Widrich (blog.bufferapp.com/the-science-of-colors-in-marketing); and a feature in Fast Company (fastcompany.com/3009317).
Steph De Long
P.S. Speaking of colors, do you know why Facebook is mostly in blue? According to an interview with founder Mark Zuckerberg in The New Yorker, it’s because he is red and green color blind, and, as he told the magazine, “Blue is the richest color for me. I can see all of blue.”
| WHAT THEY SAID… |
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SHADES OF… Here’s more on how colors can contribute to your success…or negatively affect the customer experience. REPEAT BUSINESS “Patrons are 15 percent more likely to return to stores with blue color schemes than to those with orange color schemes, according to a 2003 study published in the Journal of Business Research.” Source: cnn.com/2013/03/21/living/real-simple-color-shopping RED AND WHITE “Heart rate and blood pressure rise at intense reds; conversely, we can become tired or anxious by looking at large areas of bright whites or grays.” Source: retailcustomerexperience.com/article/3517 STOP AND SHOP “Bright colors like yellow grab customers’ attention, stopping them in their tracks before they breeze by a product display. That’s because yellow is the color first perceived by the retina.” Source: entrepreneur.com/article/223799 HEALING AND COLOR “Ancient Egyptian doctors bathed patients in colors of light to heal ailments. This trend has re-emerged as a branch of new-age medicine. It is believed that… purple lowers blood pressure and green activates the sympathetic nervous system.” Source: personal.stevens.edu/~rchen/creativity/impact%20of%20color%20on%20marketing.pdf |
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