The Power of Colour in Marketing 2 : Blue

Colour plays a huge role in memory recall, so it is important to be consistent when branding your company. The colour should appear on all your promotional material, including your logo, letterheads, business cards and product packaging. As much as possible, the colour you choose should help to set you apart from competitors. It should be appropriate for your industry and for the  image you wish to convey, and it should also be tied to your brand promise.

If you wish to suggest your company is trustworthy, has integrity and is efficient, then choosing blue for your brand could be ideal, but give thought to what shade of blue you choose – different blues signal different values.

Ask a wide selection of people what their favourite colour is and a very large number around the world will say “Blue”. Blue as a company colour suggests trust, honesty and responsibility and so helps to build customer loyalty. It is a colour which is reserved and quiet, and doesn’t shout to draw attention.

It is not surprising that blue is the choice of colour for more conservative types of business such as banks, financial institutions and accountants – all of whom wish to suggest that they are fiscally responsible, secure, trustworthy and reliable.

The shade of blue that a company chooses can also effect the message it conveys. A company such as Boeing Airways or Visa want to assert their authority as well as to be seen as trustworthy. Their chosen shade is dark blue.

Unsurprisingly, many social media companies such as Facebook, Vimeo and Twitter have chosen blue for their corporate colour. The lighter shade chosen by Twitter and Vimeo also conveys the fun side of these companies.

Physiologically, blue is calming, reducing tension and fear. It has been shown to calm the senses and lower blood pressure. Being a cool colour it creates a feeling  of space. These qualities make it ideal for health-based companies such as the National Health Service or toothpaste manufacturers.

Blue’s relaxing qualities and its connection to clear skies make it ideal for airlines who wish to reassure the nervous flyer that the service they offer is secure, stable, clean, safe and peaceful. For the same reason, the interior of many airports and aircrafts incorporate lots of blue.

Blue is considered to be the least appetising colour, even an appetite surpressant, probably because of the lack of naturally-occurring blue food. It is therefore rarely chosen for food-based company branding. In that field, red is the most common choice . Read about the power of the colour red for businesses >>.