Holi - the festival of colours that embraces love and celebrates the triumph of good over evil. Colour has a psychological impact and the power of persuasion, which makes it an essential aspect of branding and marketing.

Branding is the perception that your consumer has when they hear or think about your organisation name. Branding has an influence on the target customer, that grows and evolves with their behaviour. Branding is not only about winning over your competition, but about your prospects seeing you as a sole solution provider to their problems and needs. The objectives of a well-strategised branding plan consist of the following:

• Delivering the message clearly to your prospects

• Make a solid statement about your credibility

• Motivating  your buyer throughout their journey, is known as an inbound methodology.

• Emotionally connecting with your consumers

• Creating a loyalty and trust

Branding strategy

Your branding strategy can be formulated by understanding the needs of your target customers. Your brand must be open to evolving with the changing behaviour of these customers, and be capable of integrating every aspect of public contact. It is all about expressing who you are, what you are going to offer, and how you are going to solve a problem for your customers.

Now, what has colour to do with branding?

A comprehensive and effective branding and marketing strategy should consider the importance of colour. Colour is not only a simple aesthetic component used to design your logo or other visual components. It is the first perception that will stay with your consumer; is a characteristic of your story. While marketing, you must aim beyond your subjective and personal preferences.

Psychological impact of colour

Colour is responsible for triggering certain responses in the brain’s cerebral cortex and central nervous system. Colour is a key element of human evolution, and thus it is of great importance to consider it’s value in building a solid brand.

Psychology of different colours

• Yellow: Optimism, Cheerfulness, Warmth. Example of brands: IKEA, GOODYEAR, Lipton, National Geographic.

• Red: Youthful, Bold, Passionate. Example of brands: Cisco, H&M, Marlboro, ESPN, NETFLIX.

• Green: Tranquility, Growth, Health. Example of brands: Android, Land Rover, Carlsberg, Heineken, Acer.

• Blue: Strength, Trust, Reliability. Example of brands: Facebook, Intel, Samsung, Ford, AT&T.

• Orange: Confidence, Friendliness, Enthusiasm. Example of brands: Fanta, Nickelodeon, Soundcloud, Payless.

• Black: Balance, Calmness, Premium. Example of brands: Amazon, Mercedez, Honda, LÓREAL, GUCCI.

Colour in advertising

If you want your audience to feel and think in a certain way, the magic lies in the colour you use for the marketing and advertising material. It has the power to change the mood. For instance, have you noticed the colour of “SALE” offers from different brands are always red. It proliferates a sense of urgency. Similarly, the colour orange is often used for the marketing of a new line of clothing, gyms etc. For instance, advertisements for Zumba classes may use orange to create a sense of optimism and cheerfulness.

Gender and colour preferences

However, men and women have different psychological perceptions of  colours and, therefore, brands targeting different genders can use and manipulate their colour accordingly. A study shows that while men love bright and vibrant colours, women prefer softer colours. Similarly, men like darker shades that are deep, mysterious and powerful. On the other hand, women prefer white-based tints that are are soft, soothing and youthful.

So, it is a tough task to choose and use the best colour for branding and marketing. Choices would vary for different companies on the basis of their business model, targeted audience services. Knowing which colour will support your message will not only make an enormous impact on your audience, but also will influence your customer in how they remember your brand.  

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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views, official policy or position of GlobalLinker.