Colours do matter. Recent studies reveal that colours play a significant role in influencing a consumer’s shopping decisions. Red, orange and other similar hues were found to prompt consumers to go in for the purchase whereas lighter shades of blue and green were found to have a calming effect, thus promoting a sense of safety and security. In this article, I’ll attempt to explore the impact of colours on a brand’s reach and recall and the overall success of the marketing campaign.

Every brand has its own unique identity which is developed and reinforced by the product’s characteristics, the brand’s logo, the tagline and its promotional strategy. However, the colours associated with a brand also convey subliminal messages to the consumer and indirectly influence his emotional attachment with the brand. Think about it, in a broad and general sense, black tends to be associated with strength, sophistication or mourning; white with purity, cleanliness and neutrality; red with energy, excitement and aggression and so on.

Colours have been known to influence people’s emotions and in turn the way they perceive the things around them. By choosing the colours for your brand carefully, you plant strong subliminal messages and associations in the consumer’s mind. They subconsciously begin to associate your brand with certain characteristics and these act as triggers that induce brand recall and recognition.

Some brands have been so successful with this that they actually end up owning certain colours. Suppose you look at the pictures of a red can and a green can. I’m sure each and every one of you would associate the red can with Coke whereas the green would evoke no such association. While this can be attributed to the can’s size and shape, the colour also plays a very strong role in the association. With the increasing emphasis laid on packaging, colour plays a key role in cementing strong ties with the consumer.

However, colour psychology is highly subjective. The same colour has been found to trigger different reactions among different people. It’s a matter of perception and hence the target group must be kept in mind clearly before dabbling with colours. Kids would find bright primary colours attractive whereas softer pastel colours might appeal to grownups and educated people. Darker colours appeal to men whereas lighter, softer shades might attract womenfolk.

Cultural differences also contribute to differences in the way colours influence people. For example, a combination of black and red signifies happiness to Chinese people whereas no such association exists for other cultures. Also, the results of a study revealed that the people in China, Japan and Korea associated purple with expensive items whereas in the United States purple was associated with cheapness.

Given the complexities and the intricacies involved in choosing the right colour for your target audience, it pays to attach special attention to what colours are associated with the brand and its promotional campaigns. Colours play a critical role in determining the consumer’s response to a given brand as they influence his subconscious thought process. Handle them with care.

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