What Are Your True Colors?
We all know that we eat with our eyes. We like
our apples to be deep red, our broccoli to be a vibrant green and our bananas
to have a golden yellow peel. A study on the impact of color in marketing
determined that up to 90% of shoppers decide to buy or not buy an item solely
on color. And they make that decision in less than 90 seconds. This is not lost
on food manufacturers who pay huge sums of money to marketing specialists to
ensure that the package draws you in. They use color to give your brain secret
messages and influence your decisions. But if you know their tricks, you can
outsmart them and buy what you want.
Appetizing Red
Rumor has it that red triggers the appetite, which is why many restaurants
use red on their menu, as part of their linens or as a wall color. When we see
red, we think of fresh, ripe foods like tomatoes or strawberries. In addition,
it is eye-catching (we actually look to red first) and seems to stimulate
emotions and bring back good memories. Red is the color of choice in food marketing;
you will find it someplace on just about every food package.
Healthy Green
Green is the color of grass and until recently, not a widely used
color for labels. But times, they are a changing. Thanks to sustainability,
eco-friendliness and the ever-popular kale, green is now seen as a symbol of
health and well-being. Food marketers now use green when they want to emphasize
or make a claim about natural ingredients.
Valued Orange
Orange is the color of satisfaction. But not overall satisfaction,
it is often times used to symbolize value and affordability. Food marketers
hope that a label that has orange in will satisfy your desire or need for an
affordable item.
Happy Yellow
Yellow is considered the “happy” color indicating cheerfulness and
optimism. Believe it or not, when you see yellow, your brain releases the happy
hormone, serotonin. Eating and food are emotion provokers, and my hope is that eating
brings feelings of satisfaction, happiness and comfort (I always preach that a
healthy eating plan is one that lets you enjoy food). Food marketers use yellow
on labels to make you feel good about what you are buying. Think Cheerios!
Black Tie Black
Black was the one color that food marketers always stayed away from
in the past, but no more. It is now used to symbolize elegance and high-end
quality. Premium ice creams, chocolate bars and even some pricey chips use
black in their packaging to help convince you that $7.00 for a pint of ice
cream is worth every penny.
Suppressing Blue
Can you think of natural food that is blue? Where as red makes you
want to eat, blue suppresses your appetite. But people like the color blue and
think it connotes dependability and trustworthiness. Think about a package that
uses blue like Oreos. You can trust that you are going to get the same amount
of white filling in every cookie so you buy them over and over again.
Simply White
White is associated with purity and simplicity. It is often used to
reinforce the idea that a product has very few ingredients or is easy to
prepare.
It’s clear that food marketers never think in just black and white.
The next time you hit the market, look at the colors in your cart. Why did you
pick those items? Don’t let the pretty package determine your true for you.