Color Use in Merchandising and Advertising

Some Thoughts on Color
by JJ Goodell

It’s quite well known that the color red inspires impulsive buying. Our eyes are drawn to the color like ducks to water. Just walk into any supermarket and look at the color most often used on products. It’s red. The next one is yellow. Both colors tend to raise your blood pressure just a tad and dilate your pupils. They cause excitement, which goes to prove one thing: color affects us.

The Science of Color
For a long time, color has been used by both advertiser and merchandiser to encourage us (the consumer) to take action (purchase the product or service). In fact, the use of color in advertising and merchandising has become somewhat of a science unto itself.

Sometimes a color is selected for the sole purpose of drawing attention to the product or ad. This is when red or yellow may be used. But you can also attract attention by using a combination of colors. For instance, Stagg® Chili uses a black background with gold letters. The cereal product, Total®, creates eye-catching appeal with a blue package and a red logo.

Color can also be used to relate to a particular product or service. Consider the Green Giant® products. Their packages are set in a white background with the famous green logo. Healthy Choice® is another example of using green. Both products are trying to emulate freshness or healthfulness. Green does the job. Root beer is sold, using packages created in brown shades. A&W® is a perfect example, which uses brown and orange.

Designers & Color
Designers often select colors to bring life to an otherwise dull advertisement. Sometimes those colors selected by a designer aren’t necessary based on any real scientific choice, just as a judgment call. But when push comes to shove, the designer can usually give you a reason why he or she selected one color over another.