This is a guest post from our friends at AdMedia.

Fact: colors affect buying behavior

Check out this infographic which may be a bit of an oldie, but certainly still is a goodie. Created by KISSmetrics, it illustrates how different colors affect consumers. Apparently, “85% of shoppers place color as a primary reason for why they buy a particular product,” which means that the hues that you pick for your ads could actually make or break your campaigns.

So what do all these colors mean, exactly?

Choosing the colors for your ads will obviously depend on what you’re selling and who you’re selling it to. KISSmetrics’ infographic details the different meanings that people associate with certain colors. It’s important to note though, that the connotations below only apply to North American consumers. If you’re trying to sell something to say, an Indian or Asian, colors could take on entirely different meanings.

BLUE

Let’s start with the color blue. If you’ve ever wondered why a lot of financial institutions (including Chase, American Express, and Bank of America) use blue in their logos and ads, it’s primarily because blue denotes trust and security, and is very popular with banks and businesses. Notice how American Express chose the color blue for its Small Business Saturday campaign? This is probably the reason why.
 

Does this make you think of something blue?

BLACK

Meanwhile, if you’re selling luxury goods and wish to attract high-end consumers, black would be a good way to go because it primarily denotes power and sleekness. Take a leaf off the ads of these luxury products below and use a little darkness (in a good way, of course) to class up your ad campaign.
 

You have not heard All Things Considered until you’ve heard it through diamond-encrusted headphones.

PINK

Pink would often be the first choice of color if you’re advertising to women, mainly because it represents femininity and romance. A less obvious choice though, is purple, as it’s been found to have a soothing and calming effect and is effective in selling beauty or anti-aging products.
 

And if the subtlety of their branding isn’t coming through, Victoria’s Secret just went ahead and created a whole product line called Pink.

RED, NAVY BLUE, or TEAL

Are you having a sale and want to target bargain hunters or consumers on a budget? Then consider the colors red, navy blue, or teal. Red, being the brightest color of them all, “increases heart rate and creates urgency,” while the latter two have been found to attract shoppers on a budget and are looking for sales. (Speaking of sales, here’s a bonus tip: Use the power of words to your advantage. According to KISSmetrics, “52% of consumers are more likely to enter a store if there is a sale sign in the window.”)

Check out the ad by Target below. While the retail giant effectively uses multiple colors in the ad, they still managed to make the shades of teal and navy blue stand out. Additionally, notice how the words “sale $8 to $14″ are colored red.
 

 

YELLOW and ORANGE

Yellow and Orange on the other hand, are great for grabbing attention and giving shoppers that extra push to take action. Yellow expresses optimism and youth, and is said to be great at catching the eyes of window shoppers, while Orange denotes aggressiveness and “creates call to action” (e.g., subscribe, buy, or sell).
 

 
This is a guest post by Francesca StaAna. Francesca StaAna is from AdMedia, an online advertising network that connects advertisers to consumers through a number of innovative products including ad remarketing, affiliate programs, pay per click advertising, and more.