Originally published by The Pomerado Newsgroup

Can color help me sell more?

Albert Aldrich, Poway

Over the past few years you may have noticed phones, computers, and duct tape being sold in colors that were unheard of a decade ago.

Much of this trend is traceable to the movie Office Space, where a custom-made red stapler played a major role.

This item so differed from competing products, and caught so much attention in the marketplace, that Swingline began selling a red desktop stapler. Other manufacturers, recognizing they’d increase their own sales, quickly followed Swingline’s lead by introducing old products in new colors.

Colors broadcast subliminal messages. They impact politics (serious politicians wear navy blue); fashion (reds will be more orange in fall 2012); cars (16 new Audi colors in 2013!); laundry detergent packaging…you name it.

And because colors resonate with us at basic levels, some marketers try to “own” particular shades.

That’s why designer Christian Louboutin became famous for selling crimson-soled shoes. When Yves St. Laurent copied the idea, Louboutin sued, and lost. The court said, in effect, that nobody owns a color.

This result no doubt reverberated at Tiffany & Co. Tiffany, known for their robin’s egg blue packaging, is considered by many to be one of the world’s most upscale shopping experiences.

Yet the North County Fair Macy’s has a display of robin’s egg blue boxes with necklaces by Samara. The boxes, made in China, might confuse inattentive shoppers thinking they’re buying from Tiffany. The choice of colors by Samara almost certainly isn’t coincidental.

Consider your audience, item sold, and price point when developing your own choice of company or package colors. Certain colors will probably generate particular feelings, including green (nature, luck); orange (demanding attention); red (aggression, passion); and purple (royalty, wisdom).

Profiles on every color by culture are available at desktoppub.about.com/cs/color/a/symbolism.htm.

Extend your message with colors as you would your logo, tagline, URL or other branding tools. Reinforce your color choices at every turn and you should find people recognizing them…and you.

Indeed, do it right and, like Louboutin or Tiffany, you won’t need anything other than the color for someone to recognize your brand.

With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.

Mr. Marketing has spent 30 years developing colorful marketing campaigns for every kind of business imaginable. Ask him for help with your branding at www.askmrmarketing.com.