THE PSYCHOLOGY OF COLOR: HOW COCA-COLA

CAPTURED HEARTS AROUND THE ECUADOR?

The psychology of color as it relates to persuasion is one of the most
interesting and most controversial aspects of marketing.To alleviate this
trend and give proper treatment to a truly fascinating element of human
behavior(..).Noe, R. (2009)
Color isnt a strictly visual element, its very psychological and can trigger
different feelings and emotions in the human body and mind.
In public relation and marketing ,choosing a color for logo or brand is not
something to be taken lightly. The color to choose can play an integral part
in the success of your product. You need to ask yourself how you want your
audience to feel and what kind of emotions you are trying to bring out with
your branding. Kel, H. (2014).
The typeface that everyone the world over can recognise. Its been sat on a
couple of different backgrounds and had the word Coke added to it now
and again, but essentially, its been the same logo. Pepsi on the other hand,
started out with a logo very similar to Coca Colas. A hand drawn red
typeface. Over the years, Pepsis logo evolved and changed with the times.
The 1940s version of the Pepsi logo is great, and I wish theyd stuck with it.
However, they moved on, bringing in the blue and keeping up with trends, a
vital branding mistake.
Coca-Cola is famous for its white scripted text on a distinct bright red
background.
The color red in marketing portrays power, excitement, energy and passion.
It also stimulates the appetite, which makes it an excellent choice when
branding food or drink.Studies have also shown the color red can trigger
impulse buys (which is a great trait for any product if you are the
manufacturer). The white swirling letters also simulate passion. White is
viewed as a brilliant color, making it perfect for signage due to its eyecatching qualities.About the colors of pepsi logo which is red blue and white,
are the striking colors that can grab the consumers attention, red is very

emotionally intense color and Blue is considered beneficial to the mind and
body
And therein lies the key problem. Coca Cola have their message and brand
identity, its the same as their logo; timeless and classic. Pepsi on the other
hand, have nothing. They havent got that key hook to their brand that gets
people. Theyve got nothing to hang their advertising from. Everything
related to the brand just seems to be random. Random can be great, if done
right. Even today, Coca-Cola is synonymous with Celebration & Happiness.
Their aggressive campaigns & print ads with dominant red color along with
their subliminal messages about Celebration & Happiness can be found
everywhere and have been influencing our sub conscious minds.
So, the next time you find your friend grabbing a bottle of Coca-Cola over
Pepsi (but has no strong reason to explain the preference) during a
celebration or party, blame it on the trademark red which evokes brain
activity & the effect of subliminal (sub conscious level) marketing which has
made Coca Cola synonymous with happiness & celebration. It is not the
secret formula (recipe) but human psychology which has made Coca Cola
a successful drink and hence the first preference for most of us.
CONCLUSIONS
Coca cola is one of the largest brands in the world. Blind taste tests were
conducted and it was found that people preferred the taste of Pepsi but
Coke was still their brand of choice. This is because of brand loyalty. Brand
loyalty stems from the familiarity of a brand. In the case of Coca Cola,
people favour this cola over pepsi as it has greater brand appeal.
Consumers are constantly exposed to advertising related to Coca Cola. This
familiarity leads to an affinity with the brand in which case consumers feel
more loyal to one particular brand over another. Part of cokes brand loyalty
are the touch points

these include the colours of coke, the shape of the

bottle and the positive associations and emotional responses felt when
purchasing this product. Although Pepsi is the preferred taste in cola, Coca
cola's brand appeal and familiarity is the reason why consumer prefer coke.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

VOCABULARY
Truly: Used to emphasize that what you are saying is true
Appeal: A quality that causes people to like someone or something
Loyalty: The state or quality of being loyal; faithfulness to commitments
or obligations.
Hence: As an inference from this fact; for this reason.
Viewed: An instance of seeing or beholding; visual inspection.

REFERENCES:

Noe, R. (2009). package design trivia : why isthe pepsi logo red
,white and blue? core77.

Page of trivia, consumers and company. (2016) Extracted

from: http://www.core77.com/posts/12821/package-design-triviawhy-is-the-pepsi-logo-red-white-and-blue-12821

Kel, H. (2014). Evolution Of Pepsi Logo Design Over Hundred

Years. Designhill.