20 Seconds to Decide: Make It Easy with Color
Does color matter? Yes! Consumers make product decisions in 20 seconds or less, and a distinctive piece of that decisionmaking process is color. Even though packaging can engage all the senses, people primarily rely on sight when making a purchasing decision.
Color makes your brand recognizable, immediately grabbing your consumer’s attention in those first 20 seconds. Think about it: Would you reach for a red and white can of soda even if it didn’t have the Coca-Cola logo? Probably — and without even realizing it!
Even if you change your logo or other packaging, you should keep the same color palette to reinforce your branding, especially if that branding reflects your consumers’ interests.
Here are some examples of how colors are used and how people respond to them:
- Black, gold, and silver colors convey luxury.
- Black combined with bright, bold colors is deemed edgy or sophisticated.
- Primary colors are all about kids.
- Pinks are for girls; lavender is for women.
- Greens, rich earth tones, or unbleached paperboard are typical for natural and organic products.
Color is a tool
Color can bring differentiation, brand recognition, and loyalty, but interpretation of color has a tendency to change over time. Remember when green packaging meant fat-free? Now it’s a sign that what’s inside is organic, natural, or sustainable.
It’s important to pay attention to color trends, as well as the factors that influence them — geography, gender, culture, and religion, among others.
Go with tradition or against?
Should you follow a traditional interpretation with color or attempt to stand out in your industry by going a different way? Good question.
Breaking away from tradition and making a bold statement with a color change is a risky step, but it can also be a step that breaks you out of a stale look that no longer resonates with consumers. Study your market, and get to know your consumers through market research to get a clue about colors and the responses they elicit.
Talk to the experts at CTI who will help you decide whether to retain your packaging color or move on to something new and different.
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