Here is some trivia about hte science of colours before holi. Everyone has a favourite colour that they respond positively to. The reason is, that colours can have some specific connotations and are known to trigger emotional responses within people – calm, agitation, disgust, liking and so on. Colours are known to inform our choices, impact performance and even cognition. According to marketing pundits, the colour associated with a product is vital because about 90% of snap judgements made by consumers about a product are based on colour.
Yellow entices the window shoppers
Yellow is an eye catching color that denotes youthfulness and optimism. It is used to draw attention and persuade people to enter a shop or make a purchase.
Orange is a call to action
Marketing material that is meant to convince people to subscribe to something or commit to a purchase is often coloured orange; a colour associated with aggressive marketing.
Pink is attractive to females
It is a cliché of course, but girls and young women are supposed to be attracted to the soft prettiness of pink. Is it any wonder that toys aimed at girls – the Barbie dolls and the DIY fashion sets – all appear in relentlessly pink packaging?
Red denotes urgency
All the shop banners that scream slogans such as SALE, FINAL CLEARANCE or LAST CHANCE TO BUY are typically red in colour. Red is the colour of energy or urgency and in cases could actually increase the heart rate, in effect making you reach for more things to dump into your shopping trolley.
Blue is about trust
Banks, jewellery brands and businesses such as insurance etc tend to use a lot of blue in their signage and their publicity material because blue creates soothing sensations of trust, reliability and security.
Green is indicates prosperity /ecology
Green indicates lushness creates the impression of plenty, or wealth and prosperity. Increasingly it is also used to indicate natural ingredients, earth friendly, herbal or ecologically sustainable products, which has now also given rise to the term ‘Green Washing’.
Black is about luxury and power
Luxury items such as high end watches, luxury writing implements and fancy cars tend to use a lot of black to appeal to those not averse to expensive purchases, those looking to buy expensive presents and those willing to buy into the whole idea of luxury and muted opulence.
White is about leisure, exclusivity or perfection
Notice how Apple uses white to indicate perfection or exclusivity? And don’t we all associate white clothing with celebrities or wealthy people whom we perceive as being able to afford the high maintenance cost of wearing spotless white? Marketers use white cleverly to make us think of privilege or exclusivity.
Author – Reena Daruwalla
