COLORS TAKE ON DIFFERENT MEANINGS
By Lisa U. DeVonn
Some say that human beings tend to respond to particular colors in uniform ways, such as gray (overcast days — dull, lethargic) vs. bright, yellow (sunny days — excitement, happy). Yet, certain colors convey different meanings, not only across cultures, but also within a single culture (i.e. black clothing in the USA for funerals is traditional; but black is also considered a trendy, “cool” clothing color for urbanites in certain markets).
Have you noticed a shift in new car colors this year? Purple hues, mossy greens, earthy mineral tones in subtle sand and silt colors are all the rage in the USA. Consumers appear to be attracted to some of the more subtle earth tone colors in their selection of cars this year — or at least that’s what car-makers are counting on. It is interesting to note this color shift, in a high-priced market, where the cost of introducing
an unpopular color — one that may be too risky or perceived as a fad — can have tremendous cost implications in 3 – 5 years when the cars are resold.
Color changes have always been highly visible and expected in the clothing and cosmetics industries — where manufacturers follow and create seasonal and annual shifts from sharp blacks to pastels and
bright orange.
Color is “in” again — at least in the USA. In foods, the recent introduction of light/low-fat/healthier products have borrowed from the environmentally-friendly durables — now packaged in green. In lower risk categories, such as food, clothing and cosmetics, consumers can afford to purchase new items more regularly — each week, each season or each year. And for the fashion-conscious consumer, they can’t afford not to.
The implications of color are very important since they elicit a variety of consumer emotions and responses. For example, certain packaging colors convey prestige (such as the use of gold on soup can labels in Hong Kong); others represent no-frills (like the black on white packaging of store brand/generic goods in the USA).
Consider the misperception of red, black or white in the US, Japan and Brazil — from funerals to weddings. In Moslem Middle East cultures, for example, it is unacceptable for products to be black because black is closely associated with the modesty of women. In Germany, however, black is the
standard color for all senior management furniture. In the Ivory Coast, pagne prints are named after presidents and politicians, animals or flowers that adorn the cloth. Others are named for events and holidays.
Some even carry the faces of celebrities like Michael Jordan or the ubiquitous red-and-black Marlboro label. Colors and patterns reflect different meanings, moods, emotions, status, occasions and more.
It is important to be aware of and test the implications of color from one country to the next, because the image conveyed, however subtle, can have tremendous impact on a product’s success.
Lisa U. DeVonn is an international marketing consultant based in Laguna Niguel.
