Watching TV last night I was struck by one of the commercials. Yes, I watch TV, or it’s on in the background while I do things like read, write blog posts (the Science Channel is on right now), quote work, eat, even sleep sometimes. It’s sort of like cosmic background radiation in my home. Don’t bother to tell me how bad, distracting, wasteful, mindless, etc. it is. My fabulous, yet elderly, husband is not as active as he once was and this is his entertainment and distraction. Since he takes such good care of me, there is no way I’m going to restrict his viewing access.
Where was I? Oh yeah – the commercial. It was an ad for candy, specifically Pieces Candy from Hershey’s. The images flashed from one brand to another. Reese’s Pieces are brown, orange and yellow. York Pieces are blue and white. Almond Joy Pieces are blue, brown and white. Hershey’s Special Dark Pieces weren’t shown but in getting this post ready I discovered they’re brown and red. Now, it’s possible that the wine (wine and TV, two constants in my evenings) had something to do with it but I began to wonder, who picked the colors?
Imagine the research department, the staff assigned to the problem, the focus groups, test batches, reports, meetings and reams of paper that went into deciding that peanut butter and chocolate is best represented by brown (obvious), orange (sort of peanut color), and yellow. Blue and white for peppermint instead of green? And why blue in Almond Joy? I look at them and completely accept they picked the right colors. I know the color of the pieces reflect the colors in the candy bar labels but backing up a step, how did they decide those were the right colors?
Can a brand fail because the label was the wrong color? Absolutely! Can a mediocre product do better than a great one if it gets the color scheme right? Yes. I’m delighted and a little unnerved by the idea that there is a whole science based process behind these decisions. It’s equally amazing that we are so easily manipulated by these seemingly simple things.
Think about this next time you’re shopping. Some of the most creative use of color, typography and graphics can be found on your grocery store shelves. Pay attention to your choices and see if the labels influence your decisions.
Hi Kerry, aren’t colors the reason why fast foods like McDonald’s have yellow and red because it’s suppose to induce hunger? I’m not sure but I remember either reading about it or hearing about it somewhere. Colors definitely have meaning to a lot of people. Great post!
Anna
You know, Kerry, I too have wondered at times how certain foods got their color. My understanding of mint is that it is naturally white, so why does it wind up green in candy bags (I mean those that are colored green, not molded green by being on the shelf too long!). Color on labels does get my attention for sure..for example, I am a big fan of soda and putting lime in it..when I see a bottle of diet lime pepsi, with its cool gray and sedate green colored label, I have to drop it in my shopping basket. Recently I saw Coke Zero start putting a juicy green lime icon on the bottles of those with a splash of lime. I’ve even been attracted to bright orange labels surrounding the Safeway brand of orange soda with its simple orange icon (but I never buy it cuz I’m not a fan of orange soda in general).
Color does influence emotions. Red is a color that stimulates adrenaline and the palate, explaining why we often think of red when it comes to wine, punch, etc. Yellow is an energetic color, like the sun and some citrus fruits like lemon. So I think Anna is right that perhaps part of the reason for the coloring behind McD’s is not for the golden arches but for the hunger inducing aspect!
What a colorful thought!
Those color pickers know what they are talking about. I wonder who has the job of choosing colors for food and packaging? They certainly know how to appeal to my senses, and they know all about the effect of color!
Jennifer Duchene
Your Home Makeover Mixtress blending cool and cozy style.
I am still stuck on the thought of “who” picks! I’d love to sit in on one of those meetings!
Me too!
You are right Keri, there is a whole staff that’s part of the branding and advertising department that selects color. They have all kinds of studies from many groups…one is called the international color association. They “predict” color for every industry based on trends (not trendy) information gathered since their inception. The reason I know this…majored in journalism advertising and marketing (so saw the branding group in action), went into the fashion business and actually sat on the international color association…part of my job was naming colors! Yes there is a job for that! and now in the interior design business. Color is a major psychological influence and there is much study on what people respond to etc. Most people never think where this comes from…congratulations for your powers of observation and thought! It’s fun…
Irene – I almost followed this post with one about naming colors. How funny. That must be a strange and interesting process. In some of my work I use paint color fans for several manufacturers and am always intrigued by the seemingly infinite imagination that goes into selecting the color names.
I love your child-like curiosity! Your ability to see things from a different angle is inspiring. Who does pick the colors? And what job experience do you have on your resume to become a qualified color-picker? 😉