Chapter 2

Brand color and buying behavior

2.1 Psychology of color

Color psychology is the science of how color affects human behavior. Color psychology actually is a branch
of the broader field of behavioral psychology. Color influences perceptions that are not obvious, such as
the taste of food. Color can indeed influence a person; however, it is important to remember that these
effects differ between people. Factors such as gender, age, and culture can influence how an individual
perceives color. Psychology of color is widely used in marketing and branding. Many marketers see color
as an important part of marketing because color can be used to influence consumers' emotions and
perceptions of goods and services. Companies also use color when deciding on brand logos. These logos
seem to attract more customers when the color of the brand logo matches the personality of the goods or
services. [2]

2.2 Consumers Buying Behavior

Consumer behavior is one of the complex subjects in the field of marketing. Consumers behavior
is more dynamic than static and it is greatly influenced by many factors. One of the factors is color
which influences the consumers buying behavior to a greater extent. Influencing effect of
consumer behavior varies with the consumer and is also based on the product, brand personality,
etc. A product including packaging and graphics/visual imagery can be designed well, yet have a
lifeless or garnish color palette may contribute to a lack of consumer enthusiasm towards the
product. This can be the same for a product and package design or graphics/visual imagery, which
may come in an irresistible color combination, but is poorly designed in terms of form, ergonomics
or functionality. The right color usage may easily persuade a consumer to gravitate to the product
despite its poor design. Color is truly what sells a product. It is the first thing a consumer notices.
We don’t live in a black and white world but in a vibrant, lively atmosphere of expressive colors.
This has prompted us to make a real-life study on the Psychology of Color Influences on Consumer
Buying Behavior.

2.3 The Power of Shapes and Colors

Brands communicate meanings with the language of color and shape. As the overused cliché says,
"A picture is worth a thousand words". There are natural or universal associations evoked by shapes
and colors that are common to all of us: For example, Red is hot and full of fire, blue is cool and watery or
intangible like the sky. Our minds are programmed to respond to color. For example, we stop our cars for
red lights and go on green. Consider the effects of color in the image of contemporary symbols below.

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2.4 Brand and color
Brands and color are inextricably linked because color offers an instantaneous method for conveying
meaning and message without words.
Color is the visual component people remember most about a brand followed closely by shapes/symbols
than numbers and finally words. For example, the real McDonald's is easy to detect in the image below.

People see color before they absorb anything else. [3]

Color also provides communication cues for brand attributes such as traditional or not, calm or excited, as
well as cultural cues, cues about environmental credibility, cues about political affiliations, etc. the
Most of the recognizable brands in the world rely on color as a key factor in their instant recognition. Below
are snapshots of the world’s most recognizable brand marks cropped to show a clear representation of their
brand colors, but only a fraction of their logotype of the symbol.

Answers:
1. Coca-cola
2. Pepsi
3. Ford
4. FedEx
Or if we change some of our very known logo colors, we will find it very puzzled to identify the real
brand!

Now, it is very clear that people identify brands through visual identity. 93% of people identify
products by their color. [4] 85% of them placed colors as a primary reason why they buy products
[4]
2.5 Color emotion guide
Every color evokes a different and unique emotional response in the viewer, and a clever marketer

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or product designer (or any visual professional, in fact) will know the effect of each color, plus
how and when to use each.
[5]
Red: Passionate, aggressive, important

As a dominating color, red adds gravity and heightened awareness. quite literally, as the color
increases blood circulation, breathing rates, and metabolism.

Orange: Playful, energetic, cheap

Sharing red's energizing aspects, but to a safer degree, orange is a good way to add excitement to
a site without severity. It is generally playful, and some claim it creates haste and plays on impulse.

Yellow: Happy, friendly, warning

Yellow is a strange color: it is often associated with happiness, but also activates the anxiety center
of the brain. Like red and orange, it's able to stimulate and revitalize – it's the color of warning
signs and taxis – but use bright yellow sparingly because of the potential negative connotations.

Green: Natural, stable, prosperous

Green mostly represents the environment and outdoors, for obvious reasons, making it the clear
choice to suggest nature and organic quality.

Blue: Serene, trustworthy, inviting

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Blue is one of the most popular colors in product design and for good reason. We see blue on a lot
of products and brands because, to put it simply, it is the color of trust. Blue is the color of calm
and serenity, and as such inspires security and a feeling of safety.

Purple: Luxurious, mysterious, romantic

Purple creates an air of luxury, even decadence. Using a purple dominantly is a quick way to create
a sense of elegance or high-end appeal, even if your product is budget-minded.

Pink: Feminine, young, innocent

Pink is a special color that won't work for a lot of products but will work perfectly with the right
audience. Because most people interpret pink as feminine, the color is popular for targeting female
users.

Grey: Neutral, formal, gloomy

As the intermediary between black and white, grey exudes neutrality or a lack of any particular
sensation. This intermediary position can be a powerful tool. By varying the vibrancy, grey can
take on the properties of either black or white attention-grabbing or repel to specific degrees. If
black is too powerful and white is too bland, we can try dark or light grey.

2.6 Brand Personality

When it comes to picking the "right" color, research has found that predicting consumer reaction
to color appropriateness in relation to the product is far more important than the individual color
itself. So, if Harley owners buy the product in order to feel rugged, you could assume that the pink
+ glitter edition wouldn't sell all that well.
Psychologist and Stanford professor Jennifer Aaker has conducted studies on this very topic via
research on Dimensions of Brand Personality[6], and her studies have found five core dimensions
that play a role in a brand's personality

No one can offer an easy, clear-cut set of guidelines for choosing brand's colors, but can assure us
that the context we're working within is an absolutely essential consideration. It's the feeling,

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mood, and image that our brand creates that play a role in persuasion. We have to be sure to
recognize that colors only come into play when they can be used to match a brand's desired
personality.

2.7 Color and gender

Is there a gender difference in response to color? Although findings are ambiguous, many
investigations have indicated that there are differences between gender in preferences for
colors. [7]
there are no concrete rules about what colors are exclusively feminine or masculine, there
have been studies conducted over the past seven decades that draw some generalizations.
Let’s take a look at what they say about color and gender. [8]

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The most notable points in these images are the supremacy of blue across both genders and the
disparity between groups on purple. Women list purple as a top-tier color, but no men list purple
as a favorite color.
For example Milani Cosmetics has a primarily female customer base. Thus, there’s not a shred of
orange, gray, or brown on the homepage as these three colors are less preferred by women usually.

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