Somewhere Over the Rainbow- Color Trends

Posted January 24, 2011

"In a recent survey over 93% of consumers responded by stating the most important factor before purchasing products is color."

Ok sing along with me.

Somewhere over the rainbow,
Skies are blue,
Or possible slightly darker shade of blue grey,
With an accent of Panton 18-2120…honeysuckle pink.

With the coming of each new year, consumers are handed an exciting new color palette that inevitably influences how we identify with “Fresh” and “Trendy” designs. According to Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, “The big picture theme is a mosaic of color and style,” she continues, “This reflects cultural, universal time frames and seemingly disconnected elements. Though new technologies continue to reinvent the future, we may notice some things have a vaguely nostalgic feeling.” Perhaps this nostalgic mood is directly linked to consumer aspiration for better economic times. No matter the reason we should know that color is important to our branding.

Your brand color is always the most important consideration. As you can see on the color chart to the left, the color that best fits your image is always the right choice. After all, fresh trendy colors come and go every year. Using new colors in design in a complimentary manner by creating attractive on-trend designs for future campaigns is the best way to keep your image and brand current.  Fresh and trendy colors attract attention, and attention is great for branding.

In a recent survey over 93% of consumers responded by stating the most important factor before purchasing products is color. Only 6 percent stated the feel and texture were most important. Smell and audio perceptions were valued at less than a percent.


Other research shows consumers make subconscious conclusions about weather we will or will not purchase a product within 90 seconds of initial viewing.  And how do you think we make our judgment?  You guessed it;. color.  Between 62% and 90% of consumer buying habits are based on color alone.

Take a look at two of the most popular branding efforts where color took center stage.

Heinz
Color influences brand identity in a variety of ways. Consider the phenomenal success Heinz EZ Squirt Blastin' Green ketchup has had in the marketplace. More than 10 million bottles were sold in the first seven months following its introduction, with Heinz factories working 24 hours a day, seven days a week to keep up with demand. The result: $23 million in sales attributable to Heinz green ketchup [the highest sales increase in the brand's history]. All because of a simple color change.

Apple Computer
Apple brought color into a marketplace where color had not been seen before. By introducing the colorful iMacs, Apple was the first to say, "It doesn't have to be beige". The iMacs reinvigorated a brand that had suffered $1.8 billion of losses in two years. (And now we have the colorful iPods.)

You can stay on top of the current trends by letting the news come to you.  Sign up for fashion articles emails or RSS feeds.  Another excellent resource is Pantone or Behr. Or just search Google or Yahoo search for color and see what you find.  If you don’t find what you’re looking for then just close your eyes and tap your heels together three times.  And think to yourself, “There’s no color like…”  and soon you’ll be telling Auntie EM all about your adventures discovering the next color trend somewhere over the rainbow.

Call or email a Crigital Media Marketing Team Member today to find out how easy it is to get your marketing plan started with our unique mix of traditional and "new school" print and digital marketing products and services. 615.754.9430 Email a Marketing Team Member Now.