What is the meaning of colors in marketing?

May 2 2021

psychologia kolorów w reklamie
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Colors have an impact on everyday purchasing decisions. Visual impulses generate a wide range of mental associations; therefore, the right choice of colors becomes an important part of brand promotion. Colors for a logo or a given product can impact consumer choices and make an argument for one product over the other one. What is the exact meaning of colors in marketing? In what way is this matter linked to psychology? Let’s see!

The feeling linked to colors is not a passable trend but one of the most important aspects leading to sales. The first contact with the product is often driven by analysis of packaging, and intensity of the color itself. There is a group of colors that has a profound impact on consumer choices. That’s why it’s good to use them with caution and with your target group in mind.

The psychology of colors in advertisement

It’s about distinguishing your marketing messaging among others. It’s about creating an eye magnet for customers and making them choose your product. The color becomes a message that encourages to get familiar with the brand and what it has to offer. Choosing colors in marketing is important because it’s linked to life experiences, personal preferences and cultural background. All of this impacts the audience and determine future choices.

What you have to remember about choosing colors for company marketing?

  • Colors chosen for the brand have to be entirely in line with brand’s mission and vision. The right color scheme becomes a basis for the entire company and a special version of a business card.
  • Consumers get used to colors and identify the brand with color scheme. That’s why you shouldn’t change it too often and with high dynamics.
  • It’s worth to pay attention to color symbolics in each country or a region. If the brand goes global, you have to analyze the meaning in the culture of each country you do business. Sometimes it’s worth to create a separate brand for the problematic country, with different color and symbolics.
  • Color scheme needs to be linked with the age of the target group. If your product is destined for teens, it’s worth to choose bright colors. They are intense and full of life. Elderly will respond to more subdued colors.

The meaning of colors in marketing and their impact of purchasing decisions

Creating the logo for the brand, designing packages or website should be based on knowing the meaning of each color you want or don’t want to use (to avoid potential traps, etc.). The entire process of picking and choosing can increase sales and conversion rate (of course, sales is a part of an ecosystem and does not depend solely of colors used in logo). Let’s take a look on the process based on the most popular colors. What emotions are generated by each color?

How to analyze each color in marketing?

  • Green generates trust, it’s linked with harmony and nature. Green makes us calm and it’s used by companies offering healthy and eco food products. Also, by companies dealing with human resources.
  • Blue is linked with purity, knowledge, loyalty. This color is used by insurance companies, where getting customer’s trust is paramount.
  • Red heavily impacts emotions and focused the attention of the customer. It makes us do things. That’s why it often goes with promotions and sales. You have to be careful, though. Wrongly used, it’s intensity can backfire really quick.
  • Orange is a color of good energy and fun. It encourages physical activity. It’s also linked with openness.
  • Yellow is the color of the sun, warmth, vacations. It generates happiness and relaxations. This color is good for tourism and kids’ products.
  • Black can be associated with being serious, even death. For many (especially linked with gold) is a sign of elegance and prestige. Often used by luxury brands of clothing, cars or watches.

The psychology of colors in advertising is a field that can immensely benefit your company. The meaning of colors in marketing and using this knowledge in practice will help understand behavior and reactions of the audience. It’s also a way to encourage them to look at the brand and its offer.

It’s worth to remember that the brand is not only the logo. If you want to know how to create branding, let’s talk.

O Autorze

Jarosław Ścislak

Pracowałem nad brandingiem, rebrandingiem, skalowaniem biznesu i strategiami contentowymi dla wielu firm. Tworzyłem strategie marketingowe, contentowe, budowałem od zera działy marketingu, szkoliłem juniorów. Mogę skutecznie pomóc. Poprzez tworzenie kluczowych procesów i integrację ich w jeden ekosystem sprawię, że Twoja firma będzie pracowała dla Ciebie, a nie na odwrót. Część usług które widzisz w mojej ofercie (np. rozwój sklepów e-commerce w opozycji do platform e-commerce) wprowadziłem na rynek jako pierwszy w Polsce.