When you think about some of the biggest brands in the world (Coca-Cola, McDonalds, UPS, etc.), you don’t have to see the brand, its color and logo are ingrained in your head. The distinct red on a can of Coca-Cola with that distinct cursive lettering, the brown shield with yellow letters on the side of a UPS truck, and those golden arches on that red box with millions/ billions served for McDonalds all have been ingrained in our head through outdoor signage, commercials, and experiences. Research reveals people make a subconscious judgment about a product within 90 seconds of initial viewing and that between 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on color alone.
Branding is all about color. Why is that most fast food restaurants use red, yellow, or a combination of both? Think about it. Can you name one brand that doesn’t use either one of those colors? In order the largest fast food chains and their colors:
- Subway- Green and Yellow
- McDonalds – Red and Yellow
- Wendy’s – Red and White
- Burger King – Red and Orange
- Taco Bell – Purple, Pink, and Yellow (old logo was red and yellow)
- KFC – Red and White
- Chick-fil-A – Red and white
- Sonic – Red and Yellow
- Arby’s – Red
- Jack in the Box – Red and white
Fast food chains, gas stations, golf courses and other retail stores use flying banners, wing banners, feather banners, tents, or other pop up signs to advertise new products or specials, inside and outside their locations? It’s because color increases brand recognition by up to 80 percent and having a flying, feather, or wing banner can increase foot traffic 18-25%.
Here are some other interesting statistics that show how color impacts purchasing:
92% Believe color presents an image of impressive quality
90% Feel color can assist in attracting new customers
90% Believe customers remember presentations and documents better when color is used
83% Believe color makes them appear more successful
81% Think color gives them a competitive edge
76% Believe that the use of color makes their business appear larger to clients
It may look cheesy, but it works. Depending on the quality of the product purchased it may look good or bad, but that is a discussion for another time. How are you using color in your branding to impact your customers?
