IMPORTANCE OF MARKETING
The American Marketing Association defines marketing as the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.
To create a market for these offerings, it is necessary to satisfy consumers’ needs, wants, desires, demands, and requirements. When products or services are being marketed, they must be merchandized, publicized, advertised, and promoted. Color plays a vital part in the entire process and is a major factor in sales success.
In many instances, color actually encourages sales by attracting attention, whether in packaging, at point-of-purchase, online, or in printed matter. Color in packaging holds a promise of what lies within. Called sensation transference, the impressions and impact produced by the colors are transferred to the product in the package.
Another significant function of color is simply to make the product stand out in display and presentation or to help to distinguish it from the competition. Consumers can make up their minds about a product in a rapid-fire 90 seconds and approximately 62–90% of the assessment is based on the colors.
BRAND IMAGE
Colors are remembered more easily than words or shapes. The elegant Tiffany brand font is very effective style-wise, but people will remember most frequently the iconic Tiffany blue. UPS displays a sturdy signature imprint, yet it is brown background that is most identified with the brand.
Color is the most important factor in the design of a brand logo, playing an essential role in shaping the consumer’s impression of the brand. Often referred to as “color ownership,” it is an extremely valuable asset in increasing brand recognition by approximately 80%. The brand’s mission, vision, intentions, and identity are all expressed by color. It becomes a vital part of the brand’s personality.
When color, used singly or in combination, is consistently attached to a specific product line, service, or brand, recognition is gained and significantly retained. The imprint of the brand becomes more familiar, and memorability increases. Across all platforms, color in logos, symbols, and ideograms inform us instantly and our brain is rapidly processing those visual images.
The various attributes found in the sections on Color and Mood and Psychology of Color are essential contributors to the emotional messaging of a brand. Use those pages to validate your thinking on color choices or to provide an “aha moment” that will help you to move a project on to fruition—and at the very least, inspire you.
