Walking through the streets, watching television, or streaming social media, we see hundreds of advertisements for different brands and companies. The main aim of marketers is to attract the attention of consumers or potential buyers; companies and organizations adapt and improve their marketing campaigns and strategies to effectively reach a wider range of consumers.
The study of consumers and their behavior helps marketers understand how they think, feel, reason, and react towards the way products are advertised. According to studies, people remember 20% of what they read and 80% of what they see. Sixty five percent of people are visual learners whose attention spans are very short, which makes any content presented in big blocks of text very boring. Even in ancient civilizations, people used to convey their history by drawings on the walls.
Psychologists believe that visual elements help people remember and retain more details; they link with emotions in the brain, which further combine to make memories. Ninety percent of the information that reaches the brain is visual; any presentation with visual aids is 43% more persuasive. Accordingly, marketers depend on the visual marketing concept, which connects marketing messages to visuals, such as photos, graphics, logos, and more.
The use of visual marketing concepts increased in social media; a study suggests that posts with images receive 18% more engagement than posts with texts only. Images are not the only visual element used in marketing. Using infographics is an excellent eye-catching tool to attract the attention of the viewers, as it is a combination of information and graphic design, in a way that information is conveyed clearly and in an interesting way. They are ideal for sharing on social media; they can drive more traffic and increase engagement.
The purpose of branding is to build a strong relationship between consumers and the company. Studies have revealed that our brains prefer recognizable brands, which makes colors important when creating a brand identity. People make a judgement about a product or service in 90 seconds or less, and 90% of that judgement is influenced by the colors they see. Colors influence how consumers view the personality of the brand and play an important role in purchasing. Colorful ads are recognized more often than plain black and white ones.
Marketers and graphic designers should keep in mind color symbols and meanings as they develop media and materials to promote a company or a brand to reach their targeted audiences. It is also important to consider what colors might mean in other cultures in case these brands desire to expand internationally.
- Blue: Financial companies and major social media brands use blue to communicate trust, strength, openness, dependability, calmness, and confidence. For example, Facebook and Twitter offer the people the power to create and share ideas and information instantly without barriers; LinkedIn connects professionals from all over the world to make them more productive and successful.
- Red: It is a popular color among fast-food restaurants, as it stimulates appetite; it also evokes many emotions, including power, passion, and excitement. Moreover, it creates a sense of urgency that is why it is effective with sales. Red is highly visible; that is why it is usually used to attract attention to key messages the marketers need to convey.
- Yellow and Orange: They communicate optimism, clarity, and youthfulness; brands that use yellow show that they are fun and friendly. These two colors stimulate mental activity and generate muscle energy.
- Purple: In most countries, purple is associated with royalty, wealth, and luxury, making it a popular choice in luxury and beauty industries. In some cultures, however, purple represents sorrow and grief.
- Green: It is the symbol of freshness, growth, peace, and nature. This color is used to promote products or services that are environmentally friendly.
- Black: It is a powerful, classy, and protective color, which is used by companies that wish to boast a classic sophistication, and works well for expensive products.
- White: It represents cleanliness, simplicity, and purity, which makes it a popular choice for health care and child-related products and services.
As a consumer, I am attracted to ads with images and colors; I can even recognize a brand or a company just by its color. While walking around the shopping mall, I feel happy and enthusiastic once I recognize the red signs on the shops; they mean there is a sale!
References
businessnewsdaily.com
study.com
smallbiztrends.com
Cover photo by Freepik.