Brand Building For Profit: The Colour Behind the Brand and Why I Wear Red Ties!

Colour is essential to building a strong brand.

Many of you know my passion for wearing red ties. I believe congruency with your personal and corporate brand is essential for professionals in the services-based industries, especially consultants, coaches, speakers and trainers.

A Special Report by Mairi Macleod in the New Scientist Magazine on 18 May 2005 argues red is the colour if winning is your game.

She reports the Washington Redskins, Manchester United and the Welsh rugby team have all been playing with an unfair advantage. Just seeing their red kit is seemingly enough to cow their opponents into submission even before a ball is kicked.

The report highlights how Russell Hill and Robert Barton of Durham University in the UK tracked success in four Olympic sports: boxing, taekwondo, Greco-Roman wrestling and freestyle wrestling.

According to the report, in these sports athletes do not wear national colours, but are randomly assigned either red or blue.

The article journals of 441 bouts, reds won 242 and in all four sports reds triumphed in more contests. And the red advantage was higher in close encounters: 62 per cent of red-garbed competitors won these. But in pushover contests there were similar numbers of red and blue winners.

"If you're rubbish, a red shirt won't stop you from losing," Barton says in the article.

The same is true in soccer. Five teams in the Euro 2004 competition who had predominantly red in one of their two kits all did significantly better while wearing red, scoring around one extra goal per game.

Such effects could be due to instinctive behaviour, says Barton. In animal displays red in particular seems to vary with dominance and testosterone levels. Human competitors might experience a testosterone surge while wearing the colour, he says, or feel submissive when facing a scarlet opponent.

Evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar from the University of Liverpool speculates that primate eyes may be particularly sensitive to red. "The significance is then a matter of context," he says. Red fruit is good; red competitors are bad.

Performance director of the Great Britain taekwondo team, Gary Hall, says most of his athletes don't have a strong colour preference. But he says that if red is an advantage the sport should consider changing kits. "We should take out any anomaly like that," Hall told New Scientist.

Source: New Scientist Magazine on 18 May 2005

Colour is essential to both personal and corporate branding.

Thomas Murrell MBA CSP is an international business speaker, consultant and award-winning broadcaster. Media Motivators is his regular electronic magazine read by 7,000 professionals in 15 different countries.

You can subscribe by visiting http://www.8mmedia.com. Thomas can be contacted directly at +6189388 6888 and is available to speak to your conference, seminar or event. Visit Tom's blog at http://www.8mmedia.blogspot.com.

---

Understand Brand

Branding has been defined, explained and examined extensively. There are... Read More

Picking The Design Company Which Is Right For You

So you've decided to go for it-you're ready to choose... Read More

Go Ask Alice

One of fiction's finest marketing minds, The Cheshire Cat, once... Read More

Acquire, Then Rebrand

Acquiring another corporation usually means that the acquiring company's name... Read More

Build Brand Identity Through Product Branding

Building a product into a brand leader is not easy,... Read More

Brand Extension; Going from Consumer to Commercial

As more and more home pressure washers are sold at... Read More

How A Crazy Branding Stunt Can Bring Results For Years

As a beginner, you would be forgiven for thinking that... Read More

Its Time For Some Steak

Recently, I was reviewing our website statistics. One of the... Read More

Id Buy That: Getting A Brand Mindset

Feel that? The crisp tingle in the air? It's fall.... Read More

Brand Equity - Brand Identity Guru

7 Qualities Of A Strong Brand:1. Commands premium pricing while... Read More

Your Brand is Your Promise! (So What Are You Promising?)

When people mention the word "brand" they usually mean a... Read More

The Aim of the Name

Large corporations spend lavish amounts seeking names for their products... Read More

Branding Yourself To Increased Profitability

Successful Realtors know the importance of branding their identities into... Read More

Strategy and Tips for a Successful Logo Design

Visual processing is the most important way for gathering information... Read More

Blonds Have More Fun!

In the book, The Blond Knight of Germany, American authors... Read More

Brand Identity and Brand Image - Brand Identity Guru

It is important to distinguish between corporate identity, brand identity,... Read More

Brand Equity Building - Measuring Brand Value

Measuring brand equity allows a company to establish a baseline... Read More

What the Heck is Branding and Why Should I Care?

There's been a lot of buzz lately about branding. But... Read More

Planning Ahead With Your Designer: Tips For Design Consistency With Your Logo And Brand Elements

While we recommend that you contract with the same designer... Read More

Logo Design Tips

Logos can be described as visual icons that provide a... Read More

10 Secrets for Free Media Placement

Why pay a high priced PR agent when you can... Read More

What is Private Franchising? It is Nothing Someone Made It Up

The Federal Trade Commission has an obligation to the general... Read More

Time To Revamp Your Visual Identity?

Look at your company logo. Does it fade into the... Read More

Notable News - The Branding Myth

How many times have you heard of seen advertising for... Read More

Business Case Study Automotive Detailing Franchise Company

How do automotive detailing companies start? What makes them work... Read More