Do your brand colors convey the correct message for your business?

by Liz Johnson
Times Business Contributor
liz@mountainviewmarketingllc.com

Color is an important component of your brand. It has more of an impact on your clients’/customers’ perception of your business than you may realize. Understanding your clients’/customers’ response to certain colors can increase the effectiveness of your company’s logo, website, advertising, and collateral significantly. Knowing the meaning of color is important to the target market penetration and success of your business.

WebPageFX, a web design and marketing firm, found that 84.7% of consumers cite color as the primary reason they buy a particular product and 80% believe color increases brand recognition. Marketo, a firm that develops marketing automation software, reported that of the world’s top 100 brands, determined by brand value, 95% use only one or two colors in their brands.

What Do Specific Colors Convey?
Red is an attention-getting action color. It conveys power, energy, boldDo your brand colors convey the correct message for your business? ness, strength, and courage. It encourages prospects to take action and make a product or service purchase. Coca-Cola, CNN, Target, Canon, Avis, and Kellogg’s showcase red in their brands.

Blue is perceived as trustworthy, loyal, dependable, reliable, responsible, and secure. It is associated with integrity and conveys a message of stability and inspires trust. JP Morgan, Lowe’s, Facebook, Walmart, American Express, Ford, and Pepsi tap into the power of blue.

Green denotes growth, vitality, reliability, dependability, serenity, and peacefulness. Dark green is a strong choice for financial firms. Lighter green is an ideal color to promote health and healing and natural, safe, organic products. Animal Planet, Tropicana, BP, John Deere, Land Rover, Starbucks Coffee, and Holiday Inn include green in their brands.

Yellow conveys warmth, cheerfulness, happiness, optimism, clarity, confidence, motivation, and creativity. It stimulates energy. McDonald’s golden arches leverage the positive components of yellow. Best Buy, Sprint, Denny’s, Nikon, Hertz, and Subway use yellow in their branding color palettes.

Purple denotes sophistication, royalty, creativity, imagination, wisdom, mystery, and spirituality. Hallmark, Mobile, Crown Royal, SyFy, and Yahoo have incorporated purple into their brands.

Brown is associated with strength, practicality, reliability, durability, solidity, maturity, comfort, and earthiness. Men are more drawn to brown than women. UPS cites brown in their slogan, “What can Brown do for you?” It is a predominant color in their brand.

Black means authority, timelessness, power, control, strength, sophistication, elegance, formality, and seduction. It is an effective color for businesses that sell luxury items or services. When combined with bright colors, black creates an engaging and dramatic effect. Chanel, BMW, Lexus, Armani Exchange, and NASA use black as a branding color.

Silver conveys prestige, wealth, sophistication, intuition and dignity. It conveys sleek, quality craftsmanship, and modern, high-tech artistry. Aviator, Mercedes, BMW, and Daimler incorporate silver in their brands.

Define the characteristics and components you want your brand to convey. Choose the colors that connect with your brand promise and deliver your message. Color influences how clients/ customers view your brand and contributes to a strong brand identity so it is imperative to choose wisely. Put color to work for your business’ brand.

Published in the March 29, 2017 issue of Times Business