So you’re thinking about gearing up for your next marketing campaign? Maybe getting ready to launch a new product line perhaps? Or you are in need of a complete brand makeover? If you are a business owner with any of these major decisions in front of you, you got a lot of choices to make and things to consider. But before you start spending thousands of dollars on your marketing materials, consider this fact:

Second only to physical shape, color is the leading factor that determines how most brands are recognized by consumers.

Color is a tricky little devil because of its subjectivity – ability to trigger different emotions in different people. Everybody sees the spectrum differently – from individuals to cultures and ethnic groups. For example: In the western world, white is often worn as a symbol of cleanliness, virtue, and chastity (wedding dresses anyone?) While in China, white is commonly associated with grief and mourning (ever seen a funeral without a black suit?)

People tend to associate color with a variety of events and objects. We come by it naturally. Eat a banana or a red delicious apple blindfolded. What happens? Your sense of taste will evoke a color imagery slide-show and play it on the closed canvas of your eyelids. Wake up and smell the flowers, or a fresh cup of coffee – same result. Your nose will tell your brain what colors you’re smelling. Pretty amazing the way color association works.

When it comes to consumer purchasing trends, studies have shown that approximately 60% of purchase decisions are based entirely on color.

People even subconsciously tag colors with certain personality traits or characteristics – purple with creativity and royalty, red with aggression and daring, blue with calm and loyalty. So as a business owner, you’d be wise to pick and choose the color pallets for your next big marketing push carefully. How you apply those colors could be the difference between a healthy quarter or a dip into the red.