Category: a slice of BRILLIANCE

People always ask when embarking on a branding effort, “How do I choose colors?” Some prefer to go the route of choosing colors they love – after all, it’s my own business, right? I should be able to pick any color I want. But it’s important to remember that you are trying to visually communicate a message. You have to remember to take a customer-centric point of view and design everything to speak to that ideal customer. And colors – consciously and sub-consciously – say a lot about who your company is and more importantly, who your company is for.

In this first Ask the Expert column, I talk to Bridget Gailey of TRAY Creative and Bridget Gailey Design. She and I have partnered on clients, and she is a brilliant and fun designer and consultant who really knows how to execute visually on a strong brand strategy. Whether you need websites, logos, brochures, or packaging, Bridget’s goal is to make the world “stunning and smart.” Her latest venture, TRAY Creative, is all about “social change mareketing”: branding companies who are socially responsible and helping them meet their business goals.

RS: Hi Bridget! Thanks for joining us. How important is color selection to the buying process?

BG: Selecting an appropriate color palette for your business is critical. 60% of the decision to buy a product is based on color. The brain registers shape first, then color, then content, when recognizing or remembering something, like a logo. Think about a well known brand, like Target or UPS, then imagine if you saw the Target logo in blue or a UPS truck that was orange…would you even register it?

RS: What do certain colors mean? Is it really that big of a deal?

BG: Color can evoke strong emotional responses and trigger memories for people. Color also has deep significance with regard to specific meaning. For example, green signifies “go”, money, or nature, while red signifies “stop”, heat, or love. Some meaning is universal, and some meaning is cultural. Sometimes gender or ethnicity can play a role in color perception as well.The bottom line when it comes to color is to be mindful of why you are selecting it and what it will communicate. Don’t just pick your favorite colors. Think about your audience and with whom who you are trying to connect. What colors will resonate with them and evoke the appropriate emotional responses about your business? Also consider the industry you are in and who you want to be within the industry. What colors are your competitors using? Is it more strategic to blend in with them, or to stand out? In what way can color make your business distinctive? If you have a business in the finance industry, maybe you can use green, but because you want to be viewed as more contemporary and friendly, you could go with a lime green or blue green to differentiate yourself.

RS: What other factors should people consider when choosing colors for their business and logo?

BG: Will the colors you choose translate well and consistently across different mediums? Are they too trendy and will they become dated? Are they unintentionally evoking any negative connotations? With a little research on the meaning of color, your customers, and your competitors/industry, you will be able to make a well-informed decision about choosing colors for your company.

I am a huge proponent of using the power of branding for good in the world. Many a strong brand campaign has helped raise money, build homes, stop poverty, and fight disease. Non-profits are now getting hip to the fact that effective marketing can be used to incent change and action – and not just to sell ShamWows.

Have any of you seen the heartwrenching TV ads for the ASPCA, featuring singer Sarah Maclachlan? While her haunting melodies play, we are shown images of frightened, neglected and then happy, safe dogs and cats. Every time I see this TV spot, I break down in tears. The campaign is a large effort launched around raising the profile of the ASPCA. The look and feel of the TV ads drive you to a similar branded website, which also corresponds with an email newsletter. This rebranding effort started in 2005 and was the result of work with Saatchi and Saatchi. It was designed to raise funds and differentiate the ASPCA from the other animal-related charities out there. The main theme is “Speak for those without a voice” and this has extended into the future phases of the rebranding. The fresh color scheme and style guidelines are hopeful, professional, neat and heartwarming. The bright orange and soft gray palette makes you feel hopeful; it also modernizes and freshens up the image of this venerable organization, so that I subconsciously feel they know what they are doing and will spend my donations wisely.

This is what attracted me, via the newsletter, to become an ASPCA Guardian. With just $18 a month, I can make a difference in the life of a rescued animal. As part of this branding campaign, I also will receive a free T-shirt and a photo. Sort of like adopting a child. Their process to get me from awareness to action is flawless and multi-faceted. I have seen the ads, which then primed me for acting on a Facebook petition, which then led me to sign up for an email newsletter, which now ultimately has led to my donation. There is also the quick path of just seeing the ad, and then going to the site to donate. But I love that they give you options to act according to your own readiness. That is effective multi-touch marketing.

On a personal note, I hope you will also join me in this Guardian program to help cats and dogs have a better, happier life and get them out of abusive homes and situations.

Attended a fabulous workshop today hosted by marketing dynamo and friend of Red Slice Whitney Keyes and Kay Hirai, owner of a Mercer Island salon called Studio 904. The salon has such a unique mission and brand and it is all based on community involvement.

The workshop was about Kay’s experiences with Social Entrepreneurism, the idea that companies can partner with non-profits in order to give back to the community and make money. Kay has built a salon focused on employee education, community involvement and philanthropic spirit – and oh yeah, they just happen to do great hair. Salon 904 wants to make the world a better place; and they accomplish this by doing hair. Kay was inspired to give back even more with the death a few years ago of her beloved Terrier, Yumi. She even has an adorable blog called Hair, Dogs and Cards which brings together her 3 passions (she uses cards as a way to help her philanthropic efforts as well).

What does all this have to do with her business of hair? Well, she stands out in a sea of salons as standing for something greater. Her activism has not only given back to a community that has supported her salon for over 30 years (“The community keeps me in business, shouldn’t I be doing something to thank them for that?”), but she creates loyalty and attracts more customers by making her business mean something more than your average “cut and blow.” This is a business to which people want to give their money. And then when she wants to have a simple fundraising event at her salon like she did last year for Ginger’s Pet Rescue, the community comes out in full force and helps her raise over $10,000 – and she get tons of great PR to boot. That is the power of what one person can do.

I thought long and hard about her mission and the way she said she accomplishes this mission by doing hair. Other businesses could change the world and make it better as well through their own unique gifts and niches. I hope to make the world better for abused or neglected animals through Red Slice. When you start to look at your business in this way – as a means to a great end – the possibilities start to seem endless.

Early in my career, I was a marketing manager for Discovery Networks. My job was to offer marketing budget and support to cable operators so they could help the community, improve their tarnished image and attract loyal customers. I learned from this experience that it doesn’t matter why a company might do something good – it only matters that they DO something. In the end, when we helped fund a truckload of food being donated to a local food bank on behalf of a cable operator and gained them loads of good press and goodwill, the point was that we helped give food to the food bank. To me, this was a much better use of marketing funds than more ads or direct mailers. I didn’t care how or why the philanthropy happened, so long as I got to make it happen at all. And it made me look at that company in a new light.

Some might not agree with that. But I see no reason why activism and for-profit businesses can’t have a win-win. Win for the business sponsoring or coordinating it and a win for the benefiting organization and community at large. I have a few clients devoted to making philanthropy a lynchpin of their brand-building efforts. And in this era of social change and activism, people are much more likely to buy from you than your competitor if they know you stand for something worthwhile and that you “walk the talk” in giving back.

So, how can you use your business as a platform to make the world a better place? Or just impact the life of one person or animal in need within your community? Today’s class got me thinking that you don’t have to be an expert or a large well-funded foundation. You just have to care. And when you do, and work from your heart, the customers and profits will often follow.

Note: Photo credit to Kay Hirai