Color psychology is the study of how colors affect perceptions and behaviors. In marketing and branding, color psychology focuses on how colors influence consumers' impressions of a brand and whether or not they persuade consumers to consider specific brands or make a purchase.
It's important when creating marketing assets, building a new business, or rebranding an existing one. Research has shown that up to 90 percent of instant product decisions and choices may be based on color alone.
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Are there any problems with color psychology in marketing and branding?
There have been countless attempts to categorize how people react to different individual colors, but the truth is, color depends too much on personal experiences to translate universally into specific feelings.
Research shows that personal preferences, experiences, education, cultural differences, and context cloud the effect individual colors have on us. So, the idea that colors like yellow or purple can evoke some sort of hyper-specific emotion is almost as accurate as regular palm reading.
For example, consider the inaccuracy of making generic statements like "green means calm." There’s no context to the statement. Sometimes green is used to mark environmental issues, but other times it is intended to mark financial spaces. And while brown can be useful for a rugged look, when placed in another context, brown can be used to create a warm, welcoming atmosphere or to stimulate appetite.
How do I properly use color in marketing?
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Choosing the right color
A 2006 research study showed that the relationship between brands and color depends on the perceived adequacy of the color used for the particular brand. In other words, does the color match what is being sold?
When it comes to choosing the "right" color, research has found that predicting consumer reaction to color suitability is far more important than the individual color itself. So when considering colors for your marketing and branding, ask yourself (or better yet, gather customer feedback): "Is this color appropriate for what I'm selling?"
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The right color and your brand's personality
The customer’s desire to purchase is strongly influenced by colors due to their effect on how a brand is perceived; colors influence how customers see the "personality" of the brand in question.
Although some colors are broadly aligned with specific traits, academic studies of color and branding will tell you that it's far more important that colors support the personality you want to represent than it is to try to align it with stereotyped color associations.
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The right color attracts your audience.
Further research on color perception and color preferences shows that when it comes to shades and tints, men generally prefer bold colors, while women prefer lighter colors. Also, men were more likely to select shades of colors with the addition of black as their favorite, while women were more receptive to colors with the addition of white.
Sometimes brands can easily function outside gender stereotypes. Many brands have been rewarded for doing it because it breaks expectations.
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The right color and the right name
While different colors may be perceived in different ways, descriptive names for those colors are also important. Studies show that the same effect applies to a wide variety of products; Consumers rated the elaborately named paint colors as more pleasing to the eye than their simply named counterparts.
More unusual and unique color names have also been shown to be preferable for everything from candy to shirts. For example, pastel colors with names like "funky" were more likely to be chosen than names like "lemon yellow."
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The right color differentiates your brand.
Further studies have revealed that our brains prefer instantly recognizable brands, making color an important element in creating a brand identity. new brands must choose colors that ensure differentiation from established competitors.
Choosing the right color can help your brand stand out. Consider the psychological principle known as the isolation effect: It states that an object that "sticks out like a sore thumb" is more likely to be remembered. Research clearly shows that consumers can recognize and remember an object much better, be it text or a picture when the objects are easily identified by their colors.
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