The Surprising Facts About Color

Did you know that certain colors can make you feel things?

Color psychology has a big impact on marketing techniques. Every color has a meaning and an emotion tied to it, and there is a lot of psychology behind that. Each color plays a role in how someone may view a particular brand or company, whether they know it or not.

So how do marketing professionals use color psychology to their advantage? Here are some popular colors and a few facts which may surprise you.

Red
Red positively creates a sense of power, excitement, and passion. Red is used in many restaurants because it encourages appetite, causing consumers to become hungrier. A sense of urgency is generated by the color red, resulting in higher sales.

According to HubSpot, 9% of people view red as cheap, so red products are considered to be of better quality by 91% of people. Professional marketers use the color red to appear trustworthy to their customers. Companies like Netflix, Pinterest, and Target all use red as the primary color in their advertising.

Orange
Orange generates feelings of warmth, courage, and confidence. Companies use orange in marketing campaigns to appear more earthy and friendly, as orange is often associated with autumn and the sun. Marketers use orange to appear energetic and friendly to boost their sales. Nickelodeon uses orange to create a family friendly atmosphere to gain trust from viewers. Other companies, like Amazon and Mastercard, also use orange to appear trustworthy.

Yellow
Yellow gives off a positive sense of happiness, creativity, and intellect. Yellow is often used in marketing to create contrast between other colors because it is the color most quickly recognized by the human eye.

Marketers also use yellow to appear youthful and friendly to boost the brand or companies popularity. McDonalds also uses yellow to make you feel hungry, as well as happy to eat there. On the negative side, different shades of yellow can appear dirty, while tints can challenge eyesight.

Green
Green is often associated with healing, nature, and hope. Brands that want to appear healthy use green frequently in their logos and advertisements. Professionals also apply green to marketing to seem natural or organic to the consumers.

According to HubSpot, the “personality” of the color green is open, friendly, and authentic. Whole Foods uses green to give the impression that their products are healthy and organic, while John Deere uses green to seem like an authentically natural and trusted brand.

Blue
Blue generates a calming effect, and is the color of reason, strength, and wisdom. Marketers use blue to represent loyalty, serenity, and trust. A company like Ford uses blue in its marketing to be seen as trustworthy and dependable.

On the downside, however, since there are no naturally blue foods, this color often suppresses the appetite. This is why blue is less common in the food industry.

White/Silver
White and silver are associated with purity, cleanliness, and simplicity. Companies use these colors to appear modern and sleek, though if used poorly, they can appear lazy and boring. Tesla and Apple market with white and silver to represent that they are modern, trustworthy, and pristine.

While using white and silver in marketing can be good, these colors can often appear empty and plain. According to HubSpot, only 3% of people consider white/silver to be their favorite color.

Black
Black is a powerful color that can often be associated with sophistication, luxury, and authority. When used in marketing, the goal is to appear strong and sometimes elegant. Nike uses black to give the impression that their products give security and support.

On the other hand, black can represent mourning, coldness, and oppression, meaning consumers may not trust the company or their product.

Sometimes a consumer’s view of a company or product is a conscious decision, other times it’s subconscious. Marketers use color psychology to influence the subconscious views of their business or product. The psychological effects from colors can be different from person to person, but many people are affected similarly.

So next time you’re eating out or shopping at a store, notice the colors they are using to advertise with and decorate their walls. What message are they trying to convey?