Ever since I was a kid, I have been fascinated by the color box. Every visit to a stationery shop had to result in purchase of at least one set of sketch pens or crayons or pencil colors. As I grew up, this love for colors got transcended into the clothes I bought, food I ate and eventually as an advertising professional, the ads I worked on. However, it doesn't really matter what colors I prefer in ads or even in general. But, what matters is how my choice of colors (being a representative of one strong culture) varies from the the choice of colors of a local American (who is born and brought up in America) or for that matter any person representing a particular culture.
Colors have variety of associations within North American culture alone, and can mean radically different to Indian or Japanese or Middle Eastern viewer, where color meanings are much more specifically defined. In western countries (America & Europe), a white colored wedding dress is worn by a bride on the auspicious day of her wedding, while in Indian and several Asian countries, white colored clothes are worn during the inauspicious occasions like death. Coming back to colors in ads, cultural beliefs play a major role and hence define the color preference in all aspects of life including ads.
Following is the list of basic hues and the associations:
Red
Western Culture (North America & Europe)
- Passion
- Excitement
- Danger
- Love
- Power
- Christmas (With Green)
- Happiness
- Joy
- Celebration
- Brides
- Wedding
- Luck
- Long Life
- Purity (In India)
- Danger (Japan)
- Anger (Japan)
Latin American Culture
- Religion
Middle Eastern Culture
- Danger
- Caution
- Evil
Around The World
- Chinese New Year
- Luck
- Good Fortune
- Prosperity
Example: Mc Donalds
Orange
Western Culture (North America & Europe)
- Harvest
- Autumn
- Start of Fall
- Halloween
- Thanksgiving
- Warmth
- Citrus Fruits
- Royalty (Netherlands National Color)
Eastern & Asian Culture
- Saffron (Indian Spice)
- Renunciation
- Courage
- Sacrifice
- Love (Japan)
Latin American Culture
- Sunny
- Earth Color
Middle Eastern Culture
- Mourning
- Loss
Around the World
- Religion
- Gluttony (In Christianity)
Yellow
Western Cultures (North America & Europe)
- Bright & Cheery
- Warmth
- Summer
- Hospitality
- Taxis & School Buses
- Envy (Germany)
Eastern & Asian Cultures
- Royal'
- Sacred
- Imperial
- Commerce (India)
- Food (India)
- Courage (Japan)
Latin American Culture
- Death
- Mourning
Middle Eastern Culture
- Mourning (Egypt)
- Happiness (Other Middle Eastern Countries)
- Prosperity (Other Middle Eastern Countries)
Around the World
- High Ranked People (African Countries)
- Gold
- Money
- Quality
- Success
Example: Lipton uses Yellow to market worldwide but there are changes in what people are wearing in ads aimed at different countries.
Blue
Western Cultures (North America & Europe)
- Bank
- Trust
- Authority
- Masculine
- Boy
- Calming
- Soothing
- Peaceful
- Depression or Sadness (In Some Places)
Eastern & Asian Cultures
- Immorality
- Krishna (Popular Hindu God)
- Sports (India)
- Strength
- Feminine (China)
Latin American Culture
- Religion
- Virgin Mary's Robe or Headscarf
- Emotional Stir
- Mourning
- Trust (Mexico)
- Serenity (Mexico)
- Soap (Colombia)
Middle Eastern Culture
- Safe
- Protecting
- Heaven
- Spirituality
- Immorality
Around the World
- Friday (Thailand)
- Most Positive (Globally)
- Safest (Globally)
Example: Skype, the web-based International Telephone Company uses blue color Internationally.
Green
Western Cultures (North America & Europe)
- St. Patrick's Day (Ireland)
- National Color (Ireland)
- Nature
- Environment
- Green Business
- Green Household Cleansers
- Christmas (With Red)
- Progress
- Envy (Except Germany)
Eastern & Asian Cultures
- Nature
- New Life
- Faith (India)
- Fertility (Fertility)
- Youth
- Exorcism (China)
- Infidelity (China)
- Cheating (Wearing a Green Hat indicates Cheating in China)
Latin American Culture
- Death
Middle Eastern Culture
- Islam
- Strength
- Fertility
- Luck
- Wealth
Around the World
- Money
- Jealousy
- Military (Olive Green)
Purple
Western Cultures (North America & Europe)
- Royalty
- Cloaks & Robes of Kings and Queens
- Modernism
- Wealth
- Fame
- Honor
- Purple Heart (Military's Highest Award)
Eastern & Asian Cultures
- Wealth
- Nobility
- Mourning (Thailand)
- Widow (Thailand)
Latin American Culture
- Sorrow (Brazil)
- Mourning (Brazil)
- Death (Brazil)
Middle Eastern Culture
- Wealth
- Virtue (Egypt)
Around the World
- Sacred (Light Purple - Amethyst)
- Buddha (Tibet)
- Rosaries (Tibet)
Pink
Western Cultures (North America & Europe)
- Feminity
- Daughter
- Sweetness
- Candy
- Cake
- Childhood
- Fun
- Gay
- Breast Cancer
Eastern & Asian Cultures
- Feminine
- Marriage
- Trust (Korea)
- Breast Cancer
*The color was non-existent in China until the increase in Western influence.
Latin American Culture
- Architecture
- Famous Color for Buildings
Middle Eastern Culture
- No Distinct Meaning
Around the World
- Prison Holding Cells
- Mentally Stimulating
- Calming
Brown
Western Cultures (North America & Europe)
- Earthy
- Health
- Barrenness
- UPS (US)
- Packaging (US)
- Food Containers (US)
- Stable
- Dependable
- Wholesome
- Grains
Eastern & Asian Cultures
- Mourning (In Some Countries)
- Earth (India & China)
Latin American Culture
- Doomed Sales (Colombia)
- Disapproval (Nicaragua)
Middle Eastern Culture
- Earth
- Comfort
Around the World
- Non Color
- Neutral
- General
Black
Western Cultures (North America & Europe)
- Finality
- Death
- Formality
- Mourning
- Powerful
- Strong
- Control
- Force
Eastern & Asian Cultures
- Masculinity (China)
- Boys (China)
- Wealth
- Health
- Prosperity
- Evil (Thailand & Tibet)
- Inauspicious (Some Parts of India)
Latin American Culture
- Masculinity
- Men's Clothing
- Mourning
Middle Eastern Culture
- Symbiotic (Both Re-birth & Mourning)
- Evil
- Mystery
Around the World
- Magic
- The Unknown
White
Western Cultures (North America & Europe)
- Purity
- Peace
- Bride
- Clean
- Sterile
- Hospitals
- Holiness
- Funerals
- Chrysanthemums
Eastern & Asian Cultures
- Death
- Funeral
- Sterile
- Mourning
- Unhappiness
- Misfortune
Latin American Culture
- Peace
- Purity
Middle Eastern Culture
- Purity
- Mourning
- Holiness (Iran)
- Peace (Iran)
- High Rank (Egypt)
Around the World
- White Flag symbolic of Truce
Thus, above are some of the major colors and their significance in each culture. Depending on what sentiments are associated with a particular color, advertisers create ads so as to come up with the most effective way to market their product. Having moved from India to US, my color preferences have slightly changed in accordance with the current ongoing trend in US and is quite evidently witnessed and experienced by me when it comes to appreciating certain print or an online ad/campaign, or even buying/shopping preferences at a shop etc.
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