The psychological effect is instantaneous as color stimulates the senses and exerts its power of suggestion. Color is hard-wired into our psyches – we’ve been using it to identify objects as attractive and useful or dangerous or useless since our days as wooly mammoth hunters. Today color’s effect is seen at every level of communication: in corporate identification and logos, signage, advertising in all its many forms, at point-of-purchase, in packaging and, of course, on the web.

Often called the “silent salesperson,” color must immediately attract the consumer’s eye, convey the message of what the product is all about, create a brand identity and, most importantly, help make the sale. At the very least it must create enough interest or curiosity to induce the would-be buyer to find out more about your product or service.

But effective use of color is a tricky and subtle business. Much of the human reaction to color is subliminal and consumers are generally unaware of the pervasive and persuasive effects of color.

SO WHAT’S IN YOUR COLOR TOOLBOX?

You’vegot the three primary colors: Red, Yellow and Blue. These 3 colors are the base colors for every other color on the color wheel. That’s why they’re called “primary.” Primary colors are useful for designs or art that needs to have a sense of urgency. Primary colors are the most vivid colors when placed next to each other, which is why you’ll notice that most fast food joints use primary colors in their logos, as they evoke speed. Think McDonald’s – with that hot red type and those famous “golden arches.” In our culture we often make the following color associations:

RED
Aggressive, assertive, intense, strength, vitality, life-sustaining, passionate, courageous, insightful, love, passion, danger, warning, excitement, food, impulse, action, adventure, vitality

If people are able to see energy, they’d probably see red (pun intended). Red is the color associated with activity, passion, romance, and adventure. This color is the eternal call to action. In design, you’d do very well to use this color if you are offering something exciting and new to your consumers. It tends to make us hungry and has proven particularly effective for selling food and food supplements. – but not a great selection for a diet coach!

YELLOW
Tropical, sunlit, healing, illuminated, discovery, positivity, sunshine, curiosity, playfulness, cheerfulness, amusement and also cowardice. A popular design color, yellow is associated with feelings of happiness and good cheer. This color suits the inquisitive and the playful. If you want to conjure up feelings of entertainment and amusement and intellectual stimulation, yellow can be a wonderful design color choice.

BLUE
Authority, dignity, security, faithfulness, trust, reliability, belonging, coolness, trustworthiness, success, seriousness, calmness, power, and professionalism. The color of calm skies is the color that people associate with serenity and tranquility. It gives off the feeling of distance and perspective. The color blue can give the person looking at it great reassurance. Deep blues in particular seem analytical, serious, scholarly, academic, naval and regal. Blue offers the bonus of being the world’s least disliked color.

Your Secondary Colors are: Orange, Green, Purple. These 3 colors are what you get when you mix the primary colors together. Orange is a mix of red and yellow, Green is a mix of yellow and blue, and purple is a mix of red and purple. Secondary colors are usually more interesting than primary colors, but they do not evoke speed and urgency the same way the primaries do.

GREEN
Natural, freshness, harmony, mobility, wealth, life, tranquility, health, money, animals, healing, This color is being embraced by those who embody or represent environmental-related endeavors or practices, while darker greens, because of the color of our currency, also remind us of money.

ORANGE
Warm, cautious, hazardous, cozy, energetic, fun, cheeriness, warm exuberance, comfort, creativity, celebration, fun, youth, affordability. This color brings youthful vitality to mind. Some people associate it with cheap and mundane things but many designers choose orange if the brand is targeted towards young people. Think Nickelodeon.

PURPLE
Royalty, spirituality, dignity, sophistication, costliness and mystery, royalty, justice, ambiguity, uncertainty, luxury, fantasy, dreams, magic and wonder, this is purple. Children are inexorably drawn to the color purple. It brings to mind the days of kings and queens, of lords and ladies, of princes and princesses. This is the color to use if your target consumers are children.

Tertiary Colors: are those “in-between” colors like Yellow-Green and Red-Violet. They’re made by mixing one primary color and one secondary color together. There can be endless combinations of tertiary colors, depending on how they’re mixed.

And then you’ve got the Neutrals: Black, White, Grey and Brown

BLACK
Formal, mournful, rich, elegant, serious, seriousness, distinctiveness, boldness, somberness, authority, practicality and a corporate mentality, seriousness, darkness, mystery, secrecy, seriousness, distinctiveness, exclusivity, boldness and being classic/traditional.

While black is also generally associated with death and misery, we are so used to seeing printed text in black and white printing, that this mitigates these associations when it comes to text. However, it may be wise to use it more for accents, rather than as the main color scheme. And remember, a little black here and there may give people the impression of stability and elegance.

GRAYS
Neutrality, indifference, reserve, somberness, authority and practicality. This color may conjure up images of the corporate mentality (think pin-stripe suit) but there can also be something very restful with gray.

BROWNS & BEIGES
Somber, natural, authentic, utilitarian, earthiness, woodiness and subtle richness and simplicity. Brown usually evokes nature and mother earth. However, even if you are branding an environmentally-focused company you should think about using one or more additional colors. Browns on their own may make your design look dull and washed out.

WHITE
Psychologically white is the color or innocence, purity, cleanliness, simplicity, purity, truthfulness, and being contemporary and refined. White has become a very popular background color in web sites, because it offers the best readability onscreen, and as a non-color.

So that is how colors generally signify in our culture. However BEWARE – for a given context, not all versions of a particular colors are created equal. Above we said that blue is associated with strength and assurance. However, imagine a powerhouse industry like IBM with a pale, baby blue logo. Not a winning idea! That’s why there are are two more color words you should know:

VALUE AND SATURATION

Value in this context does not have any thing to do with the works of a color!. Rather it refers to the amount of black or white in a color. The more black a color has in it, the lower its value. Higher value colors, those with less black appear brighter. For those of you old enough to remember think of those old grey-scale bars in the text patterns of black and white television.

Saturation refers to the amount of a color used. When a color is at full saturation, it is extremely vibrant. Pastels and tints are de-saturated colors and they have their own associations. For example PINK evokes femininity, innocence, softness, health, sweetness, innocence, youthfulness, tenderness while pale blues evoke feelings of calm, pacific, ethereal, fresh, clean, and cool. Colors that are extremely de-saturated tend to be close to being neutral because there is so much gray or white in them.

COLOR IN CONTEXT

Now it is important to remember colors are rarely seen on their own! They are usually seen next to other colors (including black and white). The way they relate to each other will have a huge effect on how your image is perceived. To think about color in context it may be useful to embrace two more terms:

Complementary Colors: Red and Green, Blue and Orange, Purple and Yellow. These are the colors directly across from each other on the color wheel. Don’t let the name fool you. They rarely don’t necessarily look together. In fact, they become the contrast makes them extremely vibrant. Complementary colors are useful when you want to make something stand out. For example, if you use a blue background and have an orange triangle on it, the orange will practically jump off the page and be almost blinding.

Analogous Colors: Red and Orange, Blue and Green, etc. These are colors right next to each other on the color wheel. They usually match extremely well, but they also create almost no contrast. They’re good for very harmonious-feeling designs and artwork where you want viewers to feel comfortable. Shades

Shades occur when black is mixed with a color and tints occur when white is mixed with a color, but we can also get wonderful colors by mixing colors with just a bit of a color adjacent on the color wheel – think Chinese red (which tends to be more orange-y red) than primary red or Cherry red, which would have just a bit more blue. We can also get wonderfully complex and sophisticated hues by mixing just a bit of a color with its complement. Take shades of rust, which can be achieved by mixing our reds with just a touch of green.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON YOUR CHOICE OF PALETTE

Think carefully about what you are marketing – what associations are you trying to create? Should your colors be vibrant or soothing, straight-forward or sophisticated or complex. A poor color selection can actually damage your company’s image in the eyes of the public, which the right color selection can go a long way towards creating the image you want to have with your public.

You also need to think about your market – the color associations detailed above hold sway in mainstream North American culture. But not all cultures share these impressions. Fro example, we associate death with the color black, but white is the color of death in Chinese culture, and purple represents death in Brazil. Yellow is sacred to the Chinese, but signifies sadness in Greece and jealousy in France.

There are also technical aspects to color selection. Will your color selections work as well in print as they do on the web? If you are making use of both of these formats, you may want to consider limiting your choice of colors. And remember, not all computers process color the same way! You may need help in choosing colors that are considered “web-safe.” Remember too, that there here are palettes that work well for the disabled.

Overall, effective color choice can be a complex process. But it is also one of the most exciting and tangible choices you can make to communicate your image in a manner that is both effective and compelling. Why not that “silent-salesman” to work for you?

We’re talking the mobile smartphone advertising sector and that’s the advice from industry execs regarding its—get this—local efficiency.

Consumers in record numbers are using these handhelds to search for and act on (purchase) products and services and in their own neighborhoods. A Google study of more than 5,000 smartphone users found that three-quarters of them, or 74%, make an actual purchase either in-store, online, or on their phones.

The study, titled “The Mobile Movement: Understanding Smartphone Users,” found:

• 88% of smartphone users take action within a day
• 79% use their smartphones to HELP them with LOCAL shopping
• 60% actually visited the local business

What are you waiting for? The study just confirms that incorporating location-based products and services into your business marketing model will make it that much easier for your audience to reach you.

Three major consumer usage patterns emerged from the data:

1. Action-oriented Searchers
2. Local Information Seekers
3. Purchase-driven Shoppers

How many times have you heard, “this is the future”?

We can tell you now that it’s already here. The Google survey found that 93% of smartphone owners use their phones within the home.

• Thirty-nine percent said they used their smartphones “while going to the bathroom” and approximately 20% would give up cable TV before their smartphones.
• 81% of users “browse the internet.”
• 77% use mobile search.
• Google said that 72% of smartphone owners use their devices “while consuming other media,” and one-third while they’re watching TV (See the blog “Second Screeners.”)

Mobile searchers are looking for a range of information types (below). As an aside, the survey confirms how critical mobile is as a news delivery platform.

• News (57%)
• Dining (51%)
• Entertainment (49%)
• Shopping (47%)
• Technology (32%)
• Travel (31%)
• Finance (26%)
• Automotive (17%)

And the best news is that smartphone shoppers “spent a median of $300 on purchases made on their smartphones.”

Businesses, small and large, who don’t develop comprehensive cross-channel strategies will lose out.

But not those who formulate a business strategy that caters to mobile shoppers who use their phones in-store, online and through mobile websites and apps to help them shop.

Great design pays for itself—over and over again. Some food for thought:

• 75% of web users admit making judgments about the credibility of a company based on the design of its website – Guidelines for web credibility persuasive technology lab, Stanford University
• 68% of shoppers will distrust a site that doesn’t have a professional appearance – emarketer.com study
• Design is significantly cheaper than advertising and many other branding efforts. This makes the return on the design investment even that much more impressive. While design may be less expensive, it certainly has the largest reach and the most direct impact on sales. Less then 10% of a brands entire audience will have seen an ad before setting out to buy the product. Brand identity / package design is seen by literally 100% of possible consumers, providing the last and most important opportunity to influence the sale.
• Wall street analyzes brand identity design as making the highest contribution to brand valuation. Data based on a couple dozen high profile case studies shows that the specific return on investment in design is 50 times that of advertising or any other branding effort.

If your website is an integral part of your company’s marketing, find another place to cut costs.

Interesting facts about online shopping and search engine use.

Sponsored by the Massachusetts Restaurant Association Educational Foundation
Registration details coming soon

You’ve invested time and money building up hundreds of Facebook fans and Twitter followers. You have videos on YouTube, write about your restaurant, food and cooking  blog, you’re connected on LinkedIn and treat your Four Square mayors like royalty.

Can you answer these questions?

• How much has all this activity contributed to your bottom line?
• Which social media channel is the most profitable?
• How do you measure the value ?

Social media marketing can generate value in many ways, from sales to brand awareness. But at what cost?

Find out how to measure return on social media, discover results you probably didn’t realize you were getting, and how to tell what efforts return real business value.

2011 Winter Dinner & Program Meeting

Tuesday, January 11, 2011 Hilton, Dedham, MA 5:30 – 9:00 p.m.

How can social media be used by those in the car wash industry to expand their customer base and build customer loyalty? If you have been thinking about entering the world of social media marketing or have begun but have hit a snag, this program will help you take the next step.

In non-technological terms, you will learn:

• Various options and what might be right for different purposes and businesses
• Day- to-day management requirements
• How to measure the results of your program.
• Examples of successful initiatives that can be applied cost effectively.
• Valuable information on whether these options are appropriate for you
• The steps for the initial development of a social media marketing program

Speaker: Dan Green, The Green Internet Group

Member Registration

Maybe this is an idea worth a thought for you. It might boost your brand, strengthen visitor loyalty on your site – but it will surely help the climate.

When people use the internet, CO2 (carbon) is emitted due to the electricity consumption.

Together with more than 1,400 companies globally, we have chosen to go carbon neutral online with our website www.TheGreenInternetGroup.com (please see the green icon in bottom left corner of our site).

The voluntary initiative is organized by CO2neutralwebsite.com. They have mapped the emissions and made a CO2 neutralization program. The result is climate friendly surfing for the users of our site.

Please find further information regarding the CO2 initiative at the official website.

Please see our CO2 certificate here: CO2 neutral certificate.

Paper or plastic? That’s what you’re asking your customers if you offer gift cards and coupons. Don’t be surprised if you hear your customers answer “neither, barcode please!” It’s just a matter of time before you do.

Through a strategic partnership with CaptureCode, The Green Internet Group can help you create exciting digital promotions, gift card and loyalty programs, using state of the art technology that replaces traditional plastic gift cards, paper coupons and loyalty keychain fobs with a single barcode. The platform offers a centralized systems solution to the creation, delivery and tracking of all these programs, giving businesses a greater degree of targeting, personalization, delivery options and performance measurements than any paper or plastic solution.

The Capture Code system integrates email and mobile marketing into a single application, so businesses can create targeted 2-D barcode driven promotions that are distributed through multiple media types. The barcodes can also be used in print collateral and store signage, making Capture Code ideal for multi-channel marketing campaigns. 2-D barcodes are read using low-cost wireless readers or via a new iPhone app. The email and mobile marketing functionality may also be used for other no-barcode communications or promotions like HTML emails and e-newsletters or text message campaigns.

Reloadable digital gift card capability is unique to the Capture Code system. Barcodes are fully reloadable, secure and 100% fraud preventable, eliminating the need for plastic gift cards. Businesses no longer have to worry about the printing and shipping costs associated with traditional cards—instant digital delivery eliminates the need for shipping or mailing gift cards. Business can extend their holiday sales season without worrying about whether customers will receive their orders on time. You can also target customers with unused balances with promotions geared toward getting them to come back in.

The Capture Code solution includes:

• Low-cost wireless readers able to read from any media including mobile phone screens
• An intelligent reading application allowing for “customized promotion” and offline redemption if needed
• Flexible rules engine to configure and send targeted promotions
• State-of-the art analytics and reporting which can be integrated with point of sale
• A secure system that is compliant with leading standards

Now it is easy to:

• Reward loyal customers based on frequency or spending
• Target incentives by customer behavior
• Run mobile and email marketing promotions and accurately redemption
• Create and track real-time or limited time only offers
• Create an exciting, cost-effective gift card program
• Go green by eliminating paper and plastic

All from a single interface.

For more information call us at 866.506.1923 or submit a request online.

Sunday, 03/14/2010 2:15PM – 3:15PM , Room 159

The New England Food Show | Boston Convention & Exhibition Center – Boston, MA

For busy restaurateurs, mid-level and senior marketing professionals and HR managers, keeping up with the rapid pace of social media can be daunting. With new social media websites, blogs, video sharing sites and applications appearing almost weekly, new opportunities are always on the horizon. In this workshop, you will learn how to plan, execute and measure a successful social media campaign and how to create policies to protect your brand and avoid legal trouble!

Learn how to:

• prepare and implement internal policies to protect your brand and reputation
• plan an effective strategy
• use analytics and other tools to measure success
• use custom Facebook applications to maximize social media return on investment
• integrate email and print to improve customer experience and increase profits
• create a community of fans and friends
• share photos, videos, notes, news
• publicize events
• support causes
• create polls and surveys to get valuable customer feedback
• paid advertising opportunities
• run promotions and contests

For more information or to register online visit NEFSexposcom

Thursday, 04/1/2010 7:00PM

Flint Memorial Library | North Reading, MA

Presented by: Dan Green, President, The Green Internet Group

For entrepreneurs, mid-level and senior marketing professionals and HR managers.

Over 18 months ago marketing budgets were slashed by  business owners and corporate executives looking to conserve cash during the recent economic downturn. As confidence returns businesses are reinvesting in marketing . However 18 months is a long time and much as changed. Despite the hype and proliferation of self -proclaimed “social media marketing experts” few businesses have truly harnesses the power of social media. Worse, many have spent significant resources with little or no return on investment in social media.

Find out what works, what doesn’t and how measure results so you can decide whether investing in social media is right for your business.

Learn how to:

• prepare and implement internal policies to protect your brand and reputation
• plan an effective strategy
• use analytics and other tools to measure success
• use custom Facebook applications to maximize social media return on investment
• integrate email and print to improve customer experience and increase profits
• create a community of fans and friends
• share photos, videos, notes, news
• publicize events
• support causes
• create polls and surveys to get valuable customer feedback
• paid advertising opportunities
• run promotions and contests

For more information call 866.506.1923