Colour Psychology in Food Marketing – The Colours That Make People Buy and Why

It’s likely you regularly spend time thinking about the different colors of clothes that suit you, but have you thought about the effect colour has on what you choose to eat?

Interestingly, color psychology has been an integral part of marketing for many decades. As you would imagine, all the big brands and companies have this down to a fine art.

With that in mind, you may be wondering if you actually have any control whatsoever over what food you buy. It really depends.

It’s something to bear in mind, th9ugh, when you are developing and creating food products and the packaging because more often than not, consumers buy with their eyes first.

To better understand the subject, we are going to take a look at the fascinating world of color psychology with regards to food packaging.

We’ll look at the most appetizing and least appetizing colors and also cover the wider spectrum of colors.

What is the most appetizing colour?

Let’s start with perhaps the most important question when you are trying to design and create a food product people want – what is the color that is most likely to make consumers hungry?

We did some food market research and, while it’s true there are actually several colors that contribute, orange and yellow are most associated with making people feel hungry.

Both the color yellow and the color orange, on their own can have an effect, but it’s when there is a mixture of yellow, orange, and other imagery that can have the biggest impact.

It’s not surprising, then why so much food marketing, including the kind used by fast food chains, features extensive use of those colors. Perhaps most curious of all is the use of the color red.

Red in itself is not connected to hunger. Red is related to passion and emotion, though. Red can also increase your heart-rate.

So, when we see the colors red and yellow, red, yellow, and orange or another combination, it can make use feel passionate, or enthusiastically, hungry. Which is why fast food brands like to use it.

Earthy and bright colors like green are also good options for food, particularly and rather obviously, for healthy, organic, natural, and eco-friendly products.

Consumers who are interested in eating healthy will look for these colors.

What colour makes people lose their appetite for food?

So, now you know the range of bright colors to use in your food marketing to encourage people’s appetite, another great question to consider is what color or colors do you need to avoid because it can adversely affect their appetite.

In other words, what color, when used in food marketing, will make people lose their appetite.

There are a few that are not ideal for use in food packaging and marketing, but probably the most striking is blue. If you think about it, it really does make sense.

When was the last time you bought food that had the color blue prominent in the packaging or marketing?

That is unless it is used in weight loss or diet food packaging because blue is famous for being an effective appetite suppressant.

The reason why this is the case is thought to be based on the fact that there are very few natural food sources that are blue in color.

Curiouser still, when it comes to drinks, blue is used regularly, most likely because blue makes us think of water and all things aquatic.

The funny thing is just as greens and other colors can be used to attract consumers, for certain people they are less appealing.

For carnivores who love pies and meat with lots of potatoes and gravy, green does not really compute in their brains as being especially tasty.

What About the Other Colors?

Red, orange, yellow, green, and blue are obviously not the only colors. What does color psychology tell us about some of the other colors?

Well, for instance, white is related to cleanliness and purity. Which may sound like a good thing to have in your marketing and packaging.

However, as it is also related to things that are sterile and plain, you need to be careful with the way it is used.

Black: is related to things like elegance and sophistication, but it is not very appealing or appetizing.

Purple: is another interesting one because it is a mixture of red and blue, you may think it could elicit feelings of passion and calmness.

However, statically purple is the least used color of all in marketing and branding for food.

Generally, purple is used for informational and practical services, because of its connection with wisdom and royalty.

The only really successful brands that have used purple successfully are chocolate and confectionary companies like Cadbury and Wonka.

Summary

One of the most important parts of food branding and marketing is the colour scheme of your product.

Researching your audience, understanding their thoughts when seeking out your product and then delivering this could be the difference between your product flying out of stock or gathering dust in a stockhouse.

If you need help with choosing the right colours, then our food marketing agency can help. Contact us today