The psychology of color鈥攁nd its power of persuasion鈥攁re critical aspects in marketing, where competition is steep and both consumer attention and product cycles are short. New research on color theory and persuasion, by Boston College marketing professors, offers important insights and implications for both consumers and the marketplace.
Henrik Hagtvedt and S. Adam Brasel of the Carroll School of Management reveal a striking visual phenomenon: the perceived size of products depends on the saturation of their color. A series of studies support their hypothesis that highly saturated color increases the perceived size of objects.
Theirs is the first research to demonstrate the positive relationship between color saturation and size perceptions.
Their report, 鈥�,鈥� published in the August issue of the Journal听of Consumer Research, illustrates that highly saturated color elicits arousal, thereby capturing attention and encouraging increased size perceptions.
鈥淐olor is ubiquitous, and it influences consumers in a variety of ways, many of which they may not even be aware,鈥� said Hagtvedt, whose background as a visual artist informs his interest in the topic. 鈥淩esearch in psychology and鈥攎ore recently鈥攊n marketing has documented some of those influences, but much remains to be done. For example, painters rely on numerous color effects that marketers are not necessarily familiar with but that may alter how consumers view products. This effect of saturation is one such example.鈥�
鈥淪aturation鈥攚hich refers to a color鈥檚 purity鈥攊s an important but under-investigated dimension of color,鈥� said Brasel. 鈥淥ur results have implications for aesthetics, design, and sensory marketing鈥攔esearch areas that emphasize the importance of color and the need to explicate its role in consumer behavior.鈥�
The results of six experiments鈥攗sing objects and products with various shapes and color hues, with Boston College students as study participants鈥攔evealed the effect of color saturation on size perceptions, as well as other downstream consequences. One experiment, for instance, demonstrated that people who wanted a large suitcase evaluated it more favorably if its color was more rather than less saturated, and vice versa for people who wanted a small suitcase.
Another study investigated the amount of jellybeans that participants served themselves. Half of participants were given a cup with highly saturated color into which to pour the jellybeans; the other half were given a cup with less-saturated color. Participants with high-saturation cups served themselves on average 27% more than those with low-saturation cups.
A third experiment showed that the saturation of an object鈥檚 color affected the perceived size of its surroundings as well: When an ottoman with highly saturated color was used as a benchmark, the ceiling height of the room in which it was pictured was perceived to be comparatively lower.
Because these findings highlight both perceptual and behavioral influences that may arise from a mere adjustment of saturation, they have broad practical relevance. For example, the researchers explain, color saturation is a low-cost but effective way to influence attention and size perceptions in retail stores. And it may be even more critical in online contexts, where visual impressions tend to be the only sensory gauge available to consumers.
鈥淔rom a theoretical perspective, our findings provide new insights into fundamental effects of color on perception and judgment,鈥� said Hagtvedt. 鈥淔rom a practical perspective, they showcase a broadly applicable device that can influence consumer responses to products, environments, and marketing materials.鈥�
鈥淭he findings are relevant in contexts ranging from retail interiors to automobile exteriors and from packaging to screen displays,鈥� added Brasel.
鈥擱osanne Pellegrini / University Communications