Color in Advertising

& Physiology of Color

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Red

Red is an emotionally intense color which portrays energy,

strength, determination as well as passion, desire, and love.

The color Red encourages appetite and enhances

metabolism, that’s why it is widely used by Food companies
for branding foods and drinks. It can also trigger impulse
buys, which is why changing the color of a sale price makes
people think that they’re getting a bargain.
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The Color Red in Society and Culture

In society, there is long tradition that individuals use red to

signal power, wealth and status at various situations
In Latin American countries, red can also have religious
connotations when combined with white. Red evokes
danger and caution in the Middle East In China, red
symbolizes luck and happiness (one reason it is used in
Chinese restaurants in the U.S.). It is also the color of the
Chinese New Year.However, in former Eastern European
Bloc countries, red can still evoke associations with
communism.
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Orange
Orange originates ideas, creative thinking and sexuality. It
boosts one’s spirit and motivation as well as stimulating
imagination and enthusiasm.
Orange radiates warmth and happiness, combining the
physical energy and stimulation of red with the cheerfulness
of yellow. Orange can inspire courage, enthusiasm,
rejuvenation, and vitality. It can also have a stimulating
effect, particularly on the appetite.
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The color Orange in Society & Culture

Orange represents Autumn, warmth, and harvest in

Western cultures.
In the Middle East, it is associated with mourning & loss.
Many Eastern cultures link orange to love, happiness, and
good fortune.
In Indian cultures orange (specifically the yellow-orange
hue) is considered sacred
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Yellow

Yellow is a color used in a lot of nostalgic advertisements or

advertisements for older products. This ties back to the idea
of Yellow Pages, or Yellow Checker Cabs: things that have
existed for a while and used to be popular years ago. Those
types of things, known for their use of the color yellow,
really support that idea of something vintage, well-loved, or
classic. If something is well-loved and has a lot of support,
or it seems like it does, more people are likely to buy it.
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The Color Yellow in Society and

Culture

Yellow is a bright, cheery, color associated with

happiness, optimism, and warmth in the U.S. The
color has negative connotations in Egypt & Latin
America, the color is linked to death & mourning. In
Germany, yellow symbolizes envy & jealousy.
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Green

Green is popularly seen as the color of the

environment and is heavily used by environmental
organizations/environmentally friendly packaging. It’s
also heavily used in bank advertising as green is a
color heavily associated with money and the economic
world. Having a green color in a bank advertisement
can sometimes help convince consumers that a certain
bank might bring you money/financial prosperity or
help since the connection with green and paper money
is so strong.
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The Color Green in Society and

Culture

In Western countries, Green is often associated

with environment, progress, & good luck. green
brings up negative connotations in Indonesia,
where it is regarded as a forbidden color,
representing exorcism and infidelity. In China,
green can also indicate infidelity, where the
expression “wearing a green hat” means a man is
being cheated on by his wife.
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Blue

Blue is used to capture the feeling of calmness and

tranquility. It creates a feeling of trust and security for
shoppers. As opposed to red, blue calms people down and
eases anxiety. It is associated with companies that need to
exude confidence and reliance.
Blue is one of the most commonly used colors in American
marketing, often considered a safe color for a global
audience, because it lacks significant negative connotations.
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The color Blue in Society & Culture

In Western cultures, blue denotes safety and trust. The color

is commonly associated with masculinity and projects
authority, loyalty, and security.
Blue is tied to immortality, spirituality, and heaven in Eastern
cultures. And in Hinduism, the color is associated with
Krishna, who embodies love and divine joy. In Latin
American cultures blue is associated with religion, because
blue is the color of the Virgin Mary’s mantle. It can, however,
also be associated with mourning.
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Purple

Purple is often used in advertising to suggest

luxury. A brand that wants to sell the idea that
their products are luxurious, or nice to use, might
use violet as a feature. Violet has been long
connected with luxury due to it being the color of
royalty in earlier centuries.
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The Color Purple in Society and

Culture

In Western cultures, Purple represents royalty,

wealth, & fame, however in some parts of Europe,
it is associated with death.
In Asian cultures, purple also represents nobility,
but it is a symbol of mourning in Thailand.
In South America, purple indicated mourning or
death.
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Sources
- https://www.pacific54.com/blog/power-psychology-color-advertising/

- https://medium.com/a-history-of-color/color-in-advertising-d010d0b7ef32

- https://viewst.com/how-does-color-affect-ad-campaign/

- https://eriksen.com/marketing/color_culture/#:~:text=In%20Western%20countries%2C

%20red%20evokes,traditionally%20wear%20red%20wedding%20dresses).

- https://www.k-international.com/blog/color-meanings-around-the-world/#:~:text=West
ern%20cultures%3A%20Purple%20represents%20royalty,symbol%20of%20mournin
g%20in%20Thailand.
-