Psychology of Color
Marketing
Warm-up
1. What are the three elements that make up
the marketing concept?
a)
b)
c)
d)
Pricing, Planning, & Promoting
Selling, Marketing, & Distributing
Improved standard of living, more resources, & increased
international trade
Customer Orientation, company commitment, & company goals
Elements of the Marketing Concept
 Customer orientation: Do it their way.
 Finding out what customers want and producing those products the way they
want them
 Door-to-Door sales versus a company surveying clients to see what they want
 Company commitment: Do it better.
 Make/price the product better than the competition’s model.
 Putting money into research & development so your products stays #1
 Company goals: Do it with success in mind.
 Maintain your firm’s purpose while you apply the marketing concept.
 Increase profits, be more socially responsible, increase market share, etc…
The interrelationships among marketing functions
 Can’t forget to advertise even if you have a great product
 Can’t forget to have a sufficient supply of those great
products in stock
 Can’t forget to set prices that are competitive and attract
customers
 Forgetting any of these functions means your marketing
effort won’t be as effective.
 Your competitors will have an advantage
Agenda
• Psychology of Color Lesson
• Choose your favorite color
• Look at color chart to see if your favorite color
relates to description given.
– 3-5 sentences. Include level of agreement.
– Are there any other colors that describe you?
Step One: Choose Favorite Color
Compare your color & description
• List at least 2 ideas
/ emotions
When you see orange,
what do you think of?
• List at least 1 Brand
Color Psychology
• 90% of an assessment for trying out a
product is based on color alone
• Color is the first thing a customer notices
about a company’s logo
• Most popular logo colors:
–
–
–
–
Blue (33%)
Red (29%)
Black/Gray (28%)
Yellow (13%)
Red in a Business
• Best when used as an accent color
– Too much will overwhelm
• Encourages customers to take action & make a
purchase
• Elicits a response
– May be a positive or negative response
– Response is dependent on the customer
• Best used in businesses specializing in food & appetite,
energy, passion, or speed
Orange
• Stimulates appetite & social conversation
• Lighter shades of Orange & Red are seen as more
feminine
• Gives impression of affordability
– Too much orange will come across as too cheap
• Good for restaurants & food outlets
– Important to the décor of a business
• Combined with blue, purple, or aubergine for a
contemporary / classy look
– Phoenix Suns
Orange in Business
•
Apply sparingly as it is disliked in the Western World
•
Suggests fun, affordability, reasonable quality, & adventure
•
Invaluable color in restaurants, cafes, bistros, and diners
– Stimulates appetite & conversation
•
Social color that is frequently used in hotels & resorts and on travel
websites
•
Sports teams pick orange a lot due to energy associated with it
•
Orange appeals to the youth market
– Teens like its fun & affordability
– Kids see it in toys a lot
•
Softer colors of orange such as peach are often used to represent upper
class businesses
– Example: Spas, Beauty Salons, Treatment Centers, Expensive Restaurants
Gold in Business…
• High perceived value
• Promotes wisdom and wealth
• Products that use gold are seen as expensive /
exclusive
• Best when combined with dark red, dark blue, or
dark green
Yellow in Business
• Effective if combined with other bright primary colors
– Combined with black will act as a warning
• Great color for children’s products
– Stimulates mind & creativity
• Helps keep people moving because most people don’t
like yellow for long periods of time
– Popular in fast food
• Good for leisure products
– Enhance the promotion of any fun and entertainment
business
Yellow in Business
• It is a good color to highlight but too much can cause
anxiety, especially with older people
– Subway & McDonalds remodeled
• Use in Point-of-Sale purchases
– Eyes follow yellow first
• Avoid using yellow on expensive items
– Men view it as cheap and unsophisticated
• Dirty versions of yellow have negative connotations
– Example: Mustard
Green in Business
• Green is a good color for health & healing
• Promotes natural, safe, & organic products
– Environmentally friendly
• Suggests something new and fresh
– Motivates people to join social groups
– Helps people thing more clearly
• Dark green is good for money & financial institutes
• Lime Green suggests anticipation
• Olive Green is negative unless used to emphasize nature /
environment
Blue in Business
• Blue is the most universally well-liked color in the world
– Safest to use
– Helps build customer loyalty
• Blue is best suited for the conservative, corporate world
– Trust, honesty, dependability are important
• Popular for companies dealing with air & water
– Airlines, Boating Companies, Air Conditioning, etc…
• Best if used for companies seeking one-on-one customer
relationships versus mass communication
– Insurance, accountants, banks, & other financial institutes
• Reduces appetite and slows heart rate
• Too much blue can encourage boredom, manipulation, or a rigid look
Blue / Green
Turquoise in Business
• Good for businesses focusing on communication
– Teachers, trainers, public speakers, media communication, & computer
technology
– Aids in self-expression & clarity of thought
– Has an innovative side that goes well with sports teams
• Popular in health clinics & practitioners
– Balances emotions & calms spirits
• Good for products promoting water
– Pool companies, water filtration, water sports, etc..
• Often used in cleaning products as it reflects cleanliness without
being too sterile
• Too much Turquoise creates indecision
• Best if used with red, pink, magenta, or purple
Purple in Business
• More suitable for products & websites relating to women
or children
– Younger men are starting to see appeal
– Kids like purple & bright colors
– Lighter shades appeal to women
• Craft items, antique stores, selling things like lace, etc..
• Academic institutes will frequently use a medium shade
of purple
– Inspire thought & achievement
• Portrays wealth, extravagance when combined with gold
– Gold is not a good color on websites
– Gold is effective on packaging & print material
Pink in Business
• Pink is popular with charities & their marketing programs
– Relates to hope, compassion, warmth, and understanding
• Pink works well in businesses promoting women's products
– Beauty salons, fashion businesses, & cosmeticians
– Effective in candy stores & places selling sweet products
• Brighter pinks are popular amongst the younger market
– Promotes less expensive and trendy items
• Dusty pink is popular in businesses focusing on older
generations or sentimental services
White in Business
• White is probably the best color to use as the
background color for websites
– Exceptions are yellow & pastels
– Helps clean up negative space
• Suggests simplicity, cleanliness, & safety
• Promotes hi-tech products, kitchen appliances, bathroom
items, infant, and health related products
• On its own white is viewed as cold and sterile
Black in Business….
• Black is beneficial for companies selling luxury, elegance, &
sophistication
– High quality professional products
– Upper class car companies
• Black packaging is viewed as heavier & more expensive
– Creates classy, elegant look
• Good color to promote to wealthy teens
– Music companies
– Seen as cutting edge, trendy, sophisticated, & rebellious
• Can be seen as dramatic when combined with bright, rich, jewel
colors such as red, emerald, yellow, or orange
• Too much black is viewed as unfriendly and intimidating
– People think of salesmen wearing a black suit, black shirt, or black
pants
Silver in Business
• Reflects quality craftsmanship and artistry
• Beneficial for businesses promoting quality modern
appliances and equipment
• Appropriate for high-tech, innovative computer market &
scientific companies
• Doesn’t work well on websites
– Appears gray which is cold and impersonal
• A good complimentary color not primary color
Assignment
• Pick your favorite color and compare it to
definition
• Complete the psychology of color
worksheet
• Choose 1 of 3 options to accentuate the
use of color for a company
Option #1
• Create a female jersey for a Division II Humboldt
State College
– School lacks attendance for women's athletics.
– Currently use Green, White, & Yellow.
– You would create something that attracts female fans
or attracts interest period.
– If I were doing this I would choose pink or something
neon. However, you can do whatever.
– You also need to turn the Lumberjack logo into a "less
manly" mascot. Simply putting Lady Lumberjacks on
a jersey would work too.
Option #2
• Rebrand the Washington Redskins Jersey.
• New colors & new mascot needed.
• You would get away from their current image and try
to let people know that they are culturally sensitive &
receptive to fans.
• You can only use one (or none) of their existing
colors
• If you look at what colors really stand for it should
help you pick one for them.
Option #3
• Best Buy, Wendy's, Coca-Cola, Facebook,
McDonalds, IKEA, FedEx, Ford, & KFC are all
companies that typically attract an older
audience.
• They are hiring you to create a new color
scheme & employee uniform that appeals to a
younger demographic.
• You do not need to alter their logo, just the
colors it uses. Best Buy could be Black & White
versus Blue & Yellow. Change geek squad outfit
from white button up to black v-necks.