Color Me Sold: A Look at How Color Affects Advertising Persuasion
Kaitlyn Carney
University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
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What is color? As defined by Pantone, a leader in color communication, it is “the aspect of things that is caused by differing qualities of light being reflected or emitted by them.” Put simply, color is the way we see light reflecting off of different objects. If something reflects red light, we perceive it as red. If it reflects blue light, we see it as blue. Color plays an immense role in Marketing and brand image. What colors come to mind when you think of Coca-Cola or Ikea? The colors a brand uses in its color scheme is everything in advertising. It could even make or break a sale for the company. Color’s role in advertising acts as a connecting factor between the consumer and the brand they are buying from, creating a sense of cohesion and memorability for the buyer.
One of the most important aspects of a brand is how it is portrayed to prospective consumers, or its brand image. A vital component of a brand image is the brand’s logo, and a logo is nothing without an appropriate color scheme. How something looks sends information to a viewer, who then decodes its meaning and makes an opinion on it. One article that explores the idea that color and brand image are linked is titled “The impact of color traits on corporate branding” by Wei-Lun Chang and Hsieh-Liang Lin. This article stands to explain the five senses of branding: the visual factor, the hearing factor, the touching factor, the tasting factor, and the smelling factor. They argue that, above all, a brand needs visual elements, such as symbols and color, to effectively deliver to consumers to create a positive brand identity (2010).
I believe this to be true in the case of persuasion and advertising. Colors are the brand. Some brands have even trademarked specific colors to stand out against their competitors. Sight is the most relied-on sense, and usually, before anything, consumers see a brand’s logo or colors, automatically communicating to that person what that brand is conveying. This can also lead to consumers being persuaded or dissuaded from buying a product based solely on the colors of the product, brand, or packaging. Colors also create brand association, causing people to make and keep connections with a brand just by seeing a specific set of colors. As for future prospects, the idea of color helping to solidify a brand image will continue to be a mainstay in advertising. Brands may dive deeper into this idea by relying more on brand colors than text regarding future logos or brand symbols.
While color plays an essential role in brand awareness, the shades and hues of color also play a significant role in whether or not a consumer finds it appealing. A study by Gerald Gorn, Amitava Chattopadhyay, and Tracey Yi called “ Color in Advertising” found that the saturation and value of a color in an advertisement greatly affected the emotions provoked when viewing said advertisement (1993). The study specifically looks at feelings of arousal and relaxation. Different groups of participants were shown three different variations of the same advertisement, each with slightly manipulated color and asked how they felt about it. While changing the colors did not affect cognitive recognition, they did affect the viewer’s perception of the ad and the feelings it provoked.
This study is vital to advertising as it shows the importance of picking the right colors for a brand beyond just red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. If a branding color is green, for example, the green that is picked must have the correct hue, saturation, vibrance, and value to match the image a brand is trying to put across. Should it be dark green? Or bright green? A muted green? Or a saturated green? This is very important for new or upcoming brands to consider as it could be the deciding factor for a consumer when debating whether to choose your brand or not. Brands will continue to use this idea when deciding which specific colors to use for their brand. In the future, brands could use technology such as artificial intelligence to assist in picking the perfect color to represent a brand based on values, the mission statement, and the overall ambiance of the brand.
Through research and class discussions, I believe there is a persuasive theory that explains the importance of color in advertising, specifically packaging. Named “The Color Perception Theory,” this theory explains the links between how consumers perceive color in advertising and the effects it has on their purchases. It plays on links found in both the importance of brand colors and the importance of picking the right brand colors to invoke the right emotions in shoppers. The theory states, “Color in packaging affects a consumer’s perception of the product, therefore making them more likely to buy a product if the color pallet of the packaging coincides with their view of the brand.” For example, a person looking to buy Cheez-It brand crackers will be less likely to buy them if they see that the packaging they come in does not fit their perception that the box should be red. This also explains why strong brand colors are important, as many brands use their brand colors in packaging. If a person looking to buy a product goes into a store and sees that the color of the packaging has suddenly changed, their entire perception of the brand will change, which could make it less likely that they will continue to buy that brand.
Color is everywhere, and as visual creatures, the meanings and perceptions we get from it stay with us. Advertising and the persuasion it has on consumers is enhanced by the colors used in the ad through both what colros are picked and the shades and hues of the colors. Color can aid in persuading a new customer to buy a product and keep returning customers coming back.
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Works Cited
Gorn, Gerald, Amitava Chattopadhyay, and Tracey Yi. "Color in advertising." IIM Bangalore Research Paper 47 (1993).
Pantone. “What Is Color?” Pantone, 2022, https://www.pantone.com/articles/color-fundamentals/what-is-color.
Wei-Lun, Chang, and Lin Hsieh-Liang. "The impact of color traits on corporate branding." African Journal of Business Management 4.15 (2010): 3344-3355.