Businesses Like to Say It With Colors
Colors are all the rage amid the fickle fashions of branding, with a green tea brand named “Green Country,” a soap named “Blue Chip” and cosmetics products called “White View” all part of the lineup. The popularity of color marketing, led by McDonald’s yellow and Coca Cola’s red, virtually guarantees there will be more trademarks associated with a color in a store near you soon. The all-important corporate identity practically screams for a distinctive color that, so marketers hope, will focus consumers’ attention.
The Intellectual Property Office says the number of brand names that mention colors has been on rise for the last six years. There were 967 of them in 1999, but that figure rose by 46 percent to 1,411 last year. Out of 7,218 registered brand names including a mention of colors, green was most prevalent with 2,538, or 35.2 percent. Blue came next with 1,543 trademarks, which make up 21.4 percent of the total. White, red, and black followed, with 15.3, 10.9, and 9.7 percent.
An official at the Intellectual Property Office said the popularity of green was due to a well-being trend and its natural image. Blue, which connotes calm and health, was mainly used in kitchenware, fitness, health and medical services. White, which represents purity and cleanliness, was widely used for cosmetics, soap, and dental products. Many restaurants, clothing, and publicity companies chose red for their brand.
Chun Kyung-hee, a division head in charge of corporate image at CJ, said by changing the brand logo to fresh colors, CJ succeeded in transforming itself from a conservative manufacturer to a young and dynamic firm in the eyes of consumers. CJ made its new trademark using three prime colors of blue, yellow, and red, and registered it in 2002. The GS Group, which recently spun off from the LG Group, also made its corporate image using strong colors like orange, green, and blue to emphasize the dynamic aspect of the company. The group says orange represents dynamism and the energy business, green symbolizes the distribution and logistics industry, and blue conveys the firm’s commitment to transparent management.
The making of corporate identity using colors goes along with emotion marketing, which not only attracts consumers’ attention and differentiates firms from competitors, but also appeals to customers’ emotions. Kim Hyun, president of a corporate identity expert Design Park, said use of colors in brand names or logos helps companies more easily establish a rapport with customers and to express its unique character. Therefore, in an era of image wars, effective use of color will gain more and more importance, Kim said.
Source:
Chosun.com