The use of color in marketing has been a widespread discussion for a long time. With your brand, does your choice of color really affect your success in market? Or is it simply a fad? While we can agree that the perception of color is purely subjective — that is based on individual experiences, context and personality — it can influence consumers. In fact, according to a research conducted, color can influence up to 90 percent of snap judgements when it comes to a brand. How? Let’s take a look.

1. It Gives Your Brand a Personality

A brands success is largely a result of how they are perceived by audiences. Are they strong and trustworthy? Fun and relatable? Environmentally friendly? No matter the product offering, a brand’s personality can directly influence whether people purchase from them. How do you convey this personality? As such a powerful creative tool, color offers a unique method of expressing meaning and emotion without words.

Cabela’s is an outdoors company that uses the colors green and yellow. Both colors are clearly associated with nature and the sun, and therefore link directly to the company’s focus on the environment and evoke the feeling that Cabela’s is knowledgeable about camping, hunting and all things outdoors. Lifelock is an identity theft protection service whose logo is a white lock over a red background; the white stands out as pure, while the red suggests caution. This color scheme evokes feelings of security and reliability — two qualities essential to the service the company provides.

When deciding on color for your brand, it’s important to consider context. Think about the color brown. If placed on a women’s fashion logo it could make the brand seem boring and out-of-touch. However, if placed on a logo for an adventure travel company, it could help the brand relay a sense of power and strength — perfect emotions for audiences to feel when purchasing travel equipment.

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2. We Buy What Is Familiar

It is a relatively well known idea in marketing that consumers purchase according to what feels comfortable and familiar. Often in a supermarket, where there are so many choices, people will pick the brands they have used before or at least the ones that are well known. And how do you create this sense of familiarity? Color is a great way to stand out of a crowd of competitors.

Cadbury, for example, has used that particular shade of purple across all branding that it has been specifically trademarked as Cadbury purple. Similarly, Tiffany and Co. have used that particular light blue so well that it is instantly associated with the company.

Try picking a color and sticking with it across all branding. Over time, these colors will become familiar to consumers who will associate it with your company. It can be a great way to stand out of the crowd and build a consumer base.

3. You Attract the Right Audience

A person’s cultural environment, interests and gender can influence how color affects them. Therefore, if you have a specific target market, choosing colors that appeal to them can be a great way to raise awareness and attract more consumers. A simple example is with gender. If you’re a jewelry company, picking colors like pink, silver and light blues probably won’t attract boys, however is a great way of attracting the target female demographic. As such, color can be a great tool for filtering out audiences that won’t use your brand and attract those who will.

Color can be a major factor that contributes to a brand’s success. As a tool for association and personality, brands have a chance to stand out if color is used well in any marketing campaign.