Friday 5 June 2015

MAULIZA BINTI HAZIN SX130389HAFS04 : THE POWER OF COLOUR

THE POWER OF COLOUR

Colours represent diverse meaning and aesthetics in different cultures. In non-verbal communication, colours means; a form of non-verbal communication. It is not a static energy and its meaning can change from one day to the next with any individual and it depends on what energy they are expressing at that point in time. In today’s competitive environment, colour plays a significant role to the buyer decision making. Colour perception is fundamental on consumer decision making as marketing  strategies subject to the values of consumers. As consumers become more and more sophisticated, marketing strategies find ways to better understand the associations between colour and consumer behavior. Means that the contribution of colour to consumer behavior is become important.

    Furthermore, the psychology of colour is one of the most talked about and controversial areas of consumer psychology. The idea that certain colours can evoke specific emotions; interesting to say the least, and the notion colours can actually persuade us to buy a product and it is most definitely appealing. Given colour is the first attribute that consumers notice on a product, packaging colours can build sustainable consumer perceptions. It is also one of the power to influence the consumer perceptions of price and quality. Consumer can classify products into expensive and below average based on colour. Example, black or grey products are typically perceived as expensive and valuables whereas white produce are often perceived as cheap. This is the way marketers use to convey quality signals to consumers and influence their purchasing decisions. Colour can becomes an integral constituent of marketing strategies.

   Many marketers already beware that different colours have a different psychological ompact on consumers. They have been hard wired to make certain neuro-associations with different colours. The impact of these influences is subtle, but effective and worth implementing. Every colours have their own strength and meaning such as; red – known as internationally buying colour. It is the most ‘emotional’ of all colours. It can make us feel passionate, angry or a sense of danger. Red is best used to draw attention to specific message or area that we want the consumer to focus on due to its have variety of emotion when they saw it. Example famous products are KFC, Coca-Cola, and sale promotion. The versus colour of red is blue. Blue was determined to be the best seller and people’s most favourite colour throughout the world, regardless of cultures. Blue is considered the colour of communication; light blue leads to fantasy and dark blue leads to authority and power. Moreover, blue conjuresup feelings of tranquility, peacefulness and flights of fancy. Both colours are the most prominent and internationally recognized colours to promote sales and makes a strong case for the use of each to highlight price discount.

      Professor Rajesh Bagchi (associate professor of marketing in the Pamplin College of Business) have done some research about red and blue backgrounds colours influence consumers’ willingness to buy. In his research, his focus on the impact of colour on three settings; auctions, negotiation and fixed-price setting such as retail stores. He mention that incidental exposure to colour can affect willingness to pay and have important implications especially exposure colour on web page backgrounds or wall in brick and mortar stores. Furthermore, colour also are ubiquitous in consumer contexts. He found that consumer at auction or competitive situation for a scarce or limited product was more willing to pay after being exposed to a red instead of blue. During negotiation, red background decreased a consumer’s willingness to pay compared to blue. Consumer fixed-price were more influenced by blue. This because consumers were only competing with the seller.


     In conclusion, colour is omnipresent in consumer behavior. Colour is related to culture influences that form consumer attitudes, stimulate emotions and guide consumer awareness. As colour is the first product attribute that consumers are influenced by and given that each consumer perceives each colour intuitively, consumer behavior is subject to the cognitive aspects of consumers. Colour is creating brand identity and drives consumer needs.

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