It is no surprise that color is highly impactful on people in their everyday lives and as consumers in the market. To state the obvious, certain colors influence people to elicit emotions and sometimes reveal nostalgic feelings. Colors surround us daily whether we notice them or not and brands have taken advantage of their effects on consumers and fine tuned a strategy that keeps us coming back for more.
So how exactly have brands used the rainbow to persuade us to buy their products or services? Well, almost all National brands that you can think of have embraced the beauty of colors and utilized them in their brand image to further drive traffic to their store fronts
Bright colors such as yellows and oranges provoke a sense of happiness and optimism whereas blues elicit trust and security. Various companies incorporate these colors into their brand logos including Best Buy, Subway, and McDonald’s to name a few.
Best Buy is known to be an electronics and technology based company that serves its customers the latest and greatest, must- have tech products. Their claim to unbeatable price and “expert service” is a clear depiction of the company’s brand promise. The color yellow is often associated with sales and grasps customers’ attention quickly. Yellow is also a persuading and positive color that can influence customers to be more inclined to make an in- store purchase. In correspondence, Best Buy uses the color yellow in their logo which clearly supports their standard of unbeatable price. Of course color interpretation is dependent on a person’s own experiences and viewpoints, but brands link colors to the general feelings and associations tied to them.
Everyone has heard of the well known submarine sandwich shop, Subway, which also incorporates the color yellow in their brand logo. For Subway in particular, they aim to own the idea of fresh eating with their slogan “eat fresh.” Like Best Buy, Subway thrives on their promise of value and to satisfy customers with their quality food. With skilled sandwich artists and the ability to customize your sandwich, Subway is founded upon the positive sense of freedom to choose. As previously mentioned, the color yellow is connected with value and Subway certainly prides themselves with such in their $3.50 sub of the day special. It is without doubt that Subway incorporates the color yellow in their brand image in order to ingrain a sense of optimism, value, and the ability to gain customer attention and sales.
McDonald’s, the fast food chain unlike any other. As a restaurant chain, McDonald’s has successfully founded themselves on the concept of value. Not only does their logo contain yellow to represent value and happiness, but it incorporates a traditional red which is often used in the restaurant industry to provoke hunger. Although red has ties to anything from urgency and danger to excitement and triumph, the color red is known to trigger appetite in the food industry. McDonald’s has got it all figured out.
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better…Oral B is a worldwide leader in the dental industry that delivers revolutionary products. They focus on delivering high quality products that benefit the dental health of consumers. In correspondence, the color blue is linked to security and trust, which Oral B stands by in their brand promise. Since it is a product that benefits consumer health, it is necessary for consumers to trust their brand and what they promise. Blue is also a color preferred by men, which corresponds to Oral B’s top customer which are males (index: 122). The most obvious association between the color and brand is blue being referenced to water, calmness, and serenity which all pertain to the tooth care brand. When considering their go to brand for toothpaste and other health products, consumers want to be reassured that they have made the right choice. Oral B has the strategy in the palm of their hands by incorporating the color blue in their product line and ensuring that customers can trust their products.
Convinced yet? It is inevitable that if a color imprints positively on consumers, it will result in a return on investment for companies. All in all, color can make or break a brand and understanding the consumer preferences is the first step to success.