Color psychology in marketing and advertising

The game with colors in marketing production and advertising has become an essential element, due to the spontaneous reaction that is associated with a certain color, thereby producing certain emotional reactions. Numerous studies endorse that each color maintains a relationship with different reactions to them and, therefore, advertising have learned to make use of it.

It has been shown that the color used has a strong impact on the increase in sales, so color psychology has become an essential element in advertising. Faced with this, strategies are used with different color levels of colors depending on the emotion that wants to stimulate, turning the color into an essential element for commercial processes. In this psychology-online article we will show you the Marketing and Advertising Color Psychology, exposing the meaning of colors in advertising.

1. Color psychology
2. Marketing and Advertising Color Psychology
3. White color meaning
4. Meaning of yellow color
5. Orange color meaning
6. Meaning of red color
7. Purple color meaning
8. Meaning of blue color
9. Green color meaning
10. Black Meaning

Color psychology

Edwin d.Babbitt (1878) developed, without being aware of this, what we know today as color psychology, becoming the promoter of the aspects related to the color game in marketing. Color psychology is a branch of study that aims to analyze how colors influence us, how we perceive colors and The emotions that raise us the different ranges of colors.

This field of study has been applied especially in marketing and advertising. Everything we see and perceive in advertisements is designed to attract the attention of the public and arouse certain emotions to a specific group. However, color psychology does not apply solely in advertisements to increase sales. The colors, for example, chosen to decorate a store or those used for the logo of a certain brand, are also chosen to arouse an effect on you. Thus, sellers or publicists use this tool to cause feelings such as joy, calm, desire, passion or irritability. Faced with this, we must keep in mind that in many occasions it is our emotions that are making the decision of consumption and not the rational thoughts elaborated by ourselves.

Marketing and Advertising Color Psychology

Although the symbolism of each color has not been empirically approved in the scientific field, many of the most common colors have been associated with various emotional reactions, accepted in Western culture. That is, colors can affect mood. Another important author in color psychology is Eva Heller.

Next, let's see The meaning that has been associated with these colors and that is being used in the world of marketing and advertising. In the following sections we will see the meaning of colors in psychology.

White color meaning

The white color has been generally associated with Light, purity, goodness, innocence and cleanliness. The white color in advertising and marketing has a positive connotation in the buyer's eyes. In advertising, it tends to be used to promote freshness and cleaning, as well as medical products. The white color also we see it in advertisements about new technologies, with the aim of communicating simplicity.

Meaning of yellow color

Yellow is the color of sunlight and, according to color psychology, symbolizes the joy, happiness, intelligence, energy, heat and optimism. For this reason, the yellow color has been used to promote pleasant emotions and tends to be used in ads about leisure or children's products. The yellow color is the first to perceive our attention and more if it is used in contrast to black, for this reason it is the color selected to paint the traffic signals. However, we must be careful with this color, since an excess can behave a disturbing effect. Here you can see in depth the meaning of yellow color in psychology.

Orange color meaning

The orange color represents a mixture of the sensations of energy produced by red and happiness projected in yellow. According to color psychology, orange carries emotions of enthusiasm, attraction, creativity, determination, success and encouragement, All these emotions are emotions with a high vigorizing and stimulating effect of mental activity. Usually, this color is used for the announcement of food products, because it is related to the stimulation of appetite and toys.

Meaning of red color

The red color has been associated with strength, determination, desire, passion, danger or love, According to color psychology. It represents a color with high emotional intensity, associating with an increase in heart rate and high blood pressure. Frequently, it has been used in advertising for ads with seductive content, such as red lipsticks, shoes or nail color. On the other hand, it is also very suitable to announce aspects related to energy, such as energy drinks, sports, activities that behave risk, cars or motorcycles. Here you can see in depth the meaning of red color in psychology.

Purple color meaning

Purple color has been related to wealth and extravagance. According to color psychology, it denotes feelings of Power, luxury, ambition, creativity, independence and dignity. However, in advertising it is used to promote products for women or children before the adolescence stage, because it is a color that is not frequently found in nature and is related to magic and mystery.

Meaning of blue color

Blue, although it is the coldest color, is the most attractive for the vast majority of people, being the color of heaven and sea. The blue color has been related to the Wisdom, consciousness, intelligence, truth, trust and loyalty. With this, it has become a very suitable color to promote cleaning products, both personal and home and all those elements related to the sea, air, sky or water. As well as white, it is also used to promote technological products. According to color psychology, blue is not suitable for food ads, because it acts as an appetite suppressor.

Green color meaning

The main color of nature, representative of feelings such as Security, peace, freshness, abundance, tranquility, health, stability and resistance. The green color tends to be associated with health aspects or to announce products of natural origin, ecological, outdoor activities and gardening. In addition, if a darker green tone is used, it is very suitable for the promotion of financial and economic products.

Black Meaning

Black is a color that raises strong feelings, being able to represent emotions of strength, intransigence, authority, power, formality, elegance and mystery. However, it tends to be used to intensify the other colors that are placed next to it to increase contrast and attention to said color. As for color psychology in marketing and advertising, black tends to be linked to classic, luxury or high -end products.

In addition, colors also relate to personality. If you are interested in the color issue in the personality, you can perform the Lüscher's colors test.

This article is merely informative, in psychology-online we have no power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Color psychology in marketing and advertising, We recommend that you enter our cognitive psychology category.