Colors in marketing and business – from its inception. Philosophically and existentially. My way. #37

That colors are of great importance in business is no doubt, and the industry is well aware of this.

But has anyone ever asked themselves: why blue is “blue” and not, for example, a conglomeration of characters that mean anything but the word “blue” 🙂

Can researchers’ research help business? 😉

One of the oldest recorded color naming systems is the five-color system recorded in the Rigveda, an ancient Indian sacred text written around 1500-1200 BC. It contains names for white, red, yellow, green/black and brown.

Another interesting example is the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, which suggests that the language we speak affects our perception of the world, including colors. For example, in Russian there are two different words for blue: “goluboy” for light blue and “siniy” for dark blue. Research suggests that Russian-speaking people are quicker to distinguish between these two shades of blue than people who speak languages that do not have separate words for these shades.

It is a complex and fascinating field of research combining linguistics, psychology and anthropology.

“Colors” have therefore been named, and someone is probably able to describe the subject in more detail if they have studied the phenomenon.

We’re slowly heading into the business realm of color, but we’ll stop for a moment at the effects of color on our health and well-being.

Colors affect our health and well-being because they can influence our emotions, mood and energy. Here are some examples:

1. Red: Red is a vibrant and stimulating color. It can increase our energy and stimulate our activity. It can also raise blood pressure and breathing rate. That’s why it is often used in fast food restaurants to encourage eating and speed up metabolism.
   
2. Blue: The blue color has a calming and relaxing effect. It helps lower blood pressure, breathing rate and heart rate. It is often used in places where we want to promote calm and concentration, such as therapy rooms and bedrooms.
   
3. Green: The color green is associated with nature and has a calming effect. It can help reduce stress and tension. Greenery can also have a refreshing and restorative effect, which is good for our mental and physical health.
   
4. Yellow: Yellow is associated with joy, energy and optimism. It can stimulate our creativity and concentration. However, too intense yellow can cause feelings of anxiety, so it is important to find the right shade.
   
5. Orange: Orange color is warm and energizing. It can stimulate our vitality and enthusiasm. Orange can also stimulate appetite and is sometimes used in restaurants or cafeterias.
   
6. Purple: The northern color can have a calming and relaxing effect. It can also stimulate our creativity and intuition. It is recommended for meditation spaces or places where you want to relax your mind.

However, it is worth remembering that the effect of colors on our well-being is individual and can vary depending on our preferences, culture and context. Some people may respond more strongly to certain colors, while others may be less sensitive to this factor. It is important to find a balance and surround ourselves with colors that promote our health and well-being.

If colors affect our emotions, a strategist should keep this in mind when building a strategy and select a team that also has this knowledge.

Colors have a significant impact on business because they can influence our feelings, emotions and purchasing decisions. Here are some examples of how the above colors can help or hinder in a business context:

1. Red:

• Positive Impact: Red is often used in the food industry, especially in fast food restaurants, as it can stimulate appetite and encourage people to eat. It can also be effective in attracting customers’ attention in stores, on displays and in advertisements.
  
• Negative Impact: Too intense a red color can be overwhelming and irritating. It can cause feelings of anxiety or stress, which is not desirable in some industries, such as medical services or banking, where calmer colors are preferred.
  

2 – Blue:

• Positive Influence: Blue is often used in industries related to communications, technology and finance. It is associated with professionalism, trust and calmness. It can build trust among customers and give a sense of stability.
  
• Negative Impact: Excessive utility of the color blue can be perceived as too cool or impersonal. In some industries, such as the creative industry, fashion or entertainment, it may lack excitement or appear too conservative.
  

3 – Green:

• Positive Impact: The color green is often used in industries related to ecology, health, organic food and sustainability. It is associated with nature, freshness and concern for the environment. It can build customer confidence and promote green values.
  
• Negative Influence: too dark or overwhelming a shade of green can be associated with poison or negative associations. It is important that the green color is well balanced and appropriate to the context.
  

4 – Yellow:

• Negative Impact: Too intense a yellow color can be overwhelming or tiring to the eyes. It can also be associated with excessive aggressiveness or chaos. That’s why it’s important to use yellow in moderation and adapt it to the specifics of the industry.
  

5 Orange:

• Positive Influence: Orange is often used in industries related to food, creativity and fun. It is associated with energy, enthusiasm and pleasure. It can attract customers’ attention and evoke positive feelings.
  
• Negative Impact: Too intense an orange color can be overwhelming or irritating to some people. It can also evoke associations with cheapness or low quality, so moderation in its use is important.
  

6 – Purple:

• Positive influence: the color purple is often associated with luxury, mystery and creativity. It can influence our imagination, intuition and sense of inspiration. As a result, it is often used in industries related to fashion, design and art.
  
• Negative Impact: Excessive amounts of purple can cause feelings of depression or melancholy. In some industries, where a sense of energy or dynamism is needed, it may be considered too subdued or passive.
  

It is worth remembering that the impact of colors on business can vary depending on the specific context, target audience and culture. Choosing the right colors should be done in such a way that it corresponds to the company’s values and goals, and builds the right impressions and emotions in customers.

Now that we have described the names of the colors and their meaning and origins, we should dig further into the topic and ask the question why is it so? 🙂 What makes us associate a particular color well or badly?

I asked AI about the topic : why does cocacola have a red logo?

A: The choice of logo color is a result of the long history and strategy of the Coca-Cola brand, which is one of the most recognizable and iconic brands in the world.

Red was chosen for the Coca-Cola logo for several reasons. First, red is a very intense and distinctive color that attracts attention and is difficult to ignore. Coca-Cola wanted to create a logo that would stand out from the competition and be memorable to consumers. Red meets these criteria perfectly.

Second, red is strongly associated with emotions and has strong associations with energy, joy, passion and enthusiasm. Coca-Cola, being a refreshing beverage, wanted to use a color that would stimulate positive emotions and be associated with pleasure. The red color of the logo emphasizes the dynamism and joy associated with the Coca-Cola brand.

In addition, red is a colorful reflection of the Coca-Cola product itself, which has a distinctive red hue. The choice of this color for the logo is linked to visual consistency and connection to the brand’s main product.

It’s also worth noting that Coca-Cola introduced its logo in red back in its early days in 1886. Over the years, the company has built brand recognition and loyalty by using red in its marketing campaigns and packaging. As a result, red has become an integral part of Coca-Cola’s brand identity.

In summary, the choice of red for Coca-Cola’s logo stems from a desire to stand out, to stimulate positive emotions, consistency with the product, and long-standing brand history. Red is not only aesthetically appealing, but also strongly associated with the Coca-Cola brand, building a unique identity among consumers around the world.

Of course, this is correct reasoning because in “those days” it was not so colorful and red actually caught the eye 🙂

The chemical reactions in our bodies that can affect our color perception are more complicated. However, research suggests that color vision is related to the activity of light-sensitive receptors in our eyes. There are two types of receptors responsible for color vision in our retina: cones and rods.

The cones are responsible for color recognition and work by responding to different wavelengths of light. There are three types of cones that respond to short (blue), medium (green) and long (red) light waves. These signals are sent to the brain, where they are interpreted as different colors.

In the case of other non-spectral colors (such as brown, pink, purple), our sensations are due to a combination of different light wavelengths and how the brain interprets them.

In addition, reactions to colors can also be related to our experiences, upbringing and cultural associations with the colors in question. For example, in some cultures, specific colors may have symbolic meanings or be associated with certain emotions. For example, the color white may be associated with purity and innocence in some cultures, while in others it may symbolize mourning.

It is also important to remember that our reactions to colors can be individual and vary from person to person. Factors such as temperament, personality and individual preferences can affect how we perceive and react to different colors.

In summary, the effect of colors on our emotions and the reactions that accompany them is a complex process that involves both psychological and physiological aspects. Colors can affect us through psychological associations, as well as through the physiological response of light-sensitive receptors in our eyes.

In this regard, I believe that business should cooperate with scientists studying how our body, mind react to different situations,colors,sounds and the biggest can afford it…. 🙂

With this knowledge of how customers react to different compositions of colors and sounds, it is very easy to locate the perfect audience – the persona.

This can be done by analyzing and collecting data based on the display of images to a selected audience 😉 (if you know what i mean) or get along with scientists, do they by any chance do some cool research in this direction?

Or maybe scientists can be hired to conduct research on the issues that are bothering us? :]