Do you already know all about colours?
Colours have an effect on each of us in our everyday life. Naturally, we can take advantage of colours with product and packaging designs, folders,...In the following article you can read which colours ones prefers, what we associate with colours, which target group responds to which colour, and a lot more.
The importance of favourite colours
Favourite colours are relatively steady over time and differ from trend colours which change often. E. Brighter (1997) has found out in a survey with 1888 men and women of all age groups that the uncontested No.1 is blue. Blue is the colour of sympathy, of harmony, of friendliness, of friendship and of loyalty – but also of coldness and coolness. On the second place is red. The colour of love, of passion and of energy, but also of aggressiveness, of hate and angriness. Green is difficult to evaluate. Indeed it is on place three, but it is the same quantity of people who like green as who do not. 10% of the men and 8% of the women characterise green as the most unpopular colour. Green is the colour of the nature and of life, of hope and of spring, but also of poison and the unripeness
(D. Wölm, “Kreatives Marketing”, 1998).
| Favourite colour | Women | Men | Average |
| Blue | 36% | 40% | 38% |
| Red | 20% | 20% | 20% |
| Green | 12% | 12% | 12% |
| Black | 8% | 8% | 8% |
| Pink | 8% | 2% | 5% |
| Yellow | 4% | 5% | 5% |
| White | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| Violet | 5% | 1% | 3% |
| Gold | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Brown | 2% | 1% | 2% |
| Grey | - | 3% | 1% |
| Silver | - | 1% | - |
| Orange | 1% | - | - |
Favourite colours as a function of the target group
It is possible to assign colours to target groups:
• Children – all basic colours
• Younger people – bright and lively colours
• Puberty – rare colours
• Adults – luscious, shiny colours, combination colours
• Older people – dark, weak colours
• Higher income – pastel tones, colour compositions,
graded colour nuances, gentle colours
• Lower income – shiny colours, brilliant tones
• People of the city – cold colours, pastel tones
• People of the country – luscious colours, combination colours
• Brain-worker – blue
• Manual worker – red
• Introverted people – dark, heavy colours, combination colours
• Extroverted people – brilliant and shiny colours
(„Die 99 besten Check-Listen für Ihre Werbung“, Verlag moderne Industrie, acquisa July 2000)
The importance of trend colours
Trend colours provide a further opportunity in the marketing mix. You can adapt the colours of advertising and PR material to the trends. You can present yourself modern and topical through the integration of trend colours. Besides, the consideration of trend colours causes a harmony of the communication devices and the offered products
(D. Wölm, “Kreatives Marketing”, 1998).
The principle of the impossible colours
Creativity can also mean to act on the principle of the impossible colours. E.g.: Everything purple, gets another colour. Everything that’s not purple, gets purple. An example of this is the purple cow of “Milka”. If the name recognition of a product is high, this principle could be translated into words, too. “Milka” created a chocolate snack with the name “Lila Pause” what means “Purple Break”
(D. Wölm, “Kreatives Marketing”, 1998).