Branding

Color plays a vital role in a consumer’s decision to buy a product. ‘Research reveals people make a sub – conscious judgment about an environment or product within 90 seconds of initial viewing. Between 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on color alone’.  Color as a brand identity affects the behavior of consumers and also how the brand is perceived. A brand is a trademark or distinctive name identifying a product, service, or organization and creates an image in the consumer’s mind and as part; the brand identity is the visual representation of the brand which includes the name, logo, tagline, font and color. This essay concentrates on only color as a brand identity. For the purpose of this essay, we shall examine the brand color of Bel – Aqua and Voltic mineral water as case studies.

Red is the color of the Bel – Aqua Brand. It attracts people, catches their attention and makes them focus on the product. Little wonder, it is the brand color mostly used by fast food companies. Red also signifies strength, increased physical energy, vitality, stamina etc. The color makes the product attractive because it appeals to the physical sense of consumers and the color conveys the message about the product in the use of color. Red encourages impulse buying because it makes the product more appealing.

Voltic brand, on the other hand is identified by the blue color. Blue represents trustworthiness, calmness and reliable. The use of blue in marketing creates a sense of security and trust in a brand hence it is the color mostly used by corporate businesses and banks. Blue is also used for business involved in the area of cleanliness, mineral water inclusive because of the reliability and calmness of the color. This is good for voltic. It is observed that most table water is branded in blue color.

From the foregoing, it can be deduced that the role color plays in marketing cannot be over emphasized. Therefore, color is an important aspect of branding and companies should ensure that they use the right color for marketing and advertising to convey the right message of the company and the product to the consumer because a brand is how consumers perceive the image of the company and it is paramount to stand out in a competitive market.