Choosing the right colour for your brand, logo, website or other marketing material is a process with much more substance than you might think. Colour psychology is based on the principle that colour can carry specific meaning, evaluated often intuitively, by the person seeing it. This evaluation in turn influences an individual’s behaviour. The psychology of 6 key colours is set out below.

Psychology of Black

Black is the colour of authority and power, stability and strength. Black clothes make people appear thinner. It's a sombre colour sometimes associated with evil (the cowboy in the black hat) and grieving. Black is a colour that evokes strong emotions that can overwhelm. Proficiency of use is often needed for a successful result.

Psychology of White

White is associated with purity (wedding dresses); cleanliness (doctors in white coats) and safety. It is also used to project the absence of colour, or neutrality. Like black, white works well with most colours and is often complimented by an accent of colour for emphasis.

Psychology of Grey

Grey is most associated with the practical, timeless, middle-of-the-road, solid things in life. Too much gray leads to feeling mostly nothing; but a bit of gray will add that rock solid feeling to your product. Some shades of gray are associated with old age and depression.

Psychology of Red

If you want to draw attention, use red. It is often where the eye looks first. Red is the colour of energy. It's associated with movement and excitement. Wearing red clothes makes you appear more noticeable. Red is not a colour to over use but a spot of red in just the right place can leave an immeasurable impression depending on intention (lipstick is red for a reason!).

Psychology of Blue

Ask people their favourite colour and a clear majority will say blue. Much of the world is blue (skies, seas). Blue is generally seen as calming though some shades can be cold and uncaring. Over the ages blue has become associated with security, dependability, wisdom and loyalty (note how many Banks and Financial Services companies are blue).

Psychology of Green

The colour of nature, growth and money. A calming colour that's very pleasing to the senses. Hospitals use light green rooms because they are found to be calming to patients. It is also the colour associated with envy, good luck, generosity and fertility.

Most of the above will probably intuitively make sense. Easy done? Well the challenge for a designer, and where you will pay your money, is in understanding how the combinations of multiple primary, secondary and tertiary colours on your website, will impact visitors. Just the 6 colours above, and there are obviously many more to choose from, have 46,656 possible different permutations!!! However while 46,656 possible permutations sounds like there is a virtually unlimited colour palette to choose from I will leave you with this thought from Wired Magazine almost 10 years ago.

Companies spend millions trying to differentiate from others. Yet a quick look at the logos of major corporations reveals that in colour as in real estate, it's all about location, location, location. The result is an ever more frantic competition for the best neighbourhood.

While the fortunes of these corporates have shifted dramatically over the past decade and new players have emerged the psychology of colour has remained a bastion. Facebook and Pinterest are just a couple of recent players competing for the same valuable real estate created by the psychology of colour.

2012 is set to focus on streamlining new marketing processes introduced in 2011, as marketers become more savvy and sophisticated with the now not so new capabilities. ADMA asked some of their Digital Day speakers to share their predictions and focus for the year ahead.

1. Social Media Influence
Social Media solidified itself as a key channel in 2011 as we saw it seamlessly integrated as the main component of a number of major successful campaigns, including NAB’s “Break-Up” campaign and Tourism Australia.

Social influence will only get stronger in 2012 as organisations start to develop more compelling and cohesive experiences for customers in new and more engaging ways. In 2011 social media ROI was a key factor, while this year will see marketers focusing on social media revenue generation as an increasing number of consumers flock to Facebook to find more targeted purchases. Data capture and measurement will be the focus to creating long-term effectiveness in Social Media in 2012.

“Digital is creating a transparent consumer market so better leverage of customer advocacy with a focus on C2C will be fundamental to compete, especially for brands that don't compete on price. We're creating integrated social applications to promote brand success with the aim to better engage new audiences.”

John-Paul Talbot, Digital Projects Consultant,
Fuzzy Entertainment - Parklife

2. Mobile
If 2011 was the year of the app, 2012 is fast set to become the year of the mobile wallet which will mean a dramatic shift in the way we will look at mobile marketing. Mobile has become an opportunity to market to potential consumers in real time. As the mobile wallet fast becomes a reality, marketers will have to consider the 360 degree path to purchase. Marketers will need to focus on developing a different form of communication with their customer through targeted messages and brilliant data. Shifting from e-commerce to m-commerce will enable on-the-spot transactions. Rethinking how we use mobile will give consumers exhilarating new interactions with brands.

“I think Social e-commerce is on everyone’s lips and F commerce is something our brand would like to trial as our next step in our digital efforts.”

Therese Waters, National Marketing Manager,
Clinique

3. Data
New technologies are providing us with new opportunities to gain a single customer view and track customer behaviour. Data will reign supreme as it becomes the most important factor to enable us to really capatilise on the integration of touch points and platforms. There will be a real focus on data visualisation along with a high demand on super granular ROI and analysis in order to make a real connection with audiences. Marketers will have to be mindful that as new technologies emerge and unify, customers will be more cagy about data privacy and protection. Marketers will come out on top if they discover their customers preferred channel which will maximise acquisition and build lasting relationships.

4. Content Marketing
2012 will focus more on the customer experience and gaining a one-to-one conversation to better engage with current and potential consumer bases. More focused communities will be developed as content sharing will become increasingly crucial. Sophisticated data will enable marketers to effectively connect with their audience.

“Interface and content are what counts. With interface, the future is all about touch. Content, on other hand, will be shaped by the sharing filter.”

Hal Crawford, Head of News,
ninemsn

5. Geo-Marketing
As smart phones and tablets continue to flourish, the opportunity for marketers to reach consumers at that critical moment and be in the right place at the right time is too good an opportunity to miss in 2012. Geo marketing will mature and provide marketers with a unique opportunity to focus on the ‘human’ element, whether that’s through live chat, virtual environments or social media. Not only that but 2012 will see marketers exploit the opportunity of geo-location marketing to capture a complete and holistic understanding of their customers’ interactions.

6. Gamification
According to Gartner, by 2015 a gamified service for consumer goods marketing and customer retention will become as important to companies' marketing departments as Facebook and Twitter. Gartner further predicts that in less than three years more than 70 percent of Global 2000 organisations will have at least one gamified application.

“We recognised early the importance of expanding across multiple digital platforms to reach millions of audiences throughout the world, breaking out storied brands like PAC-MAN to diverse digital media to increase its visibility from one platform to another. In 2012 that will become more important than ever with the expediential proliferation of smart phones, tablets, and streaming services adding to the already rich digital ecosystem that has become the standard.”

Carlson Choi, Vice President – Marketing,
Namco Bandai Games (US)

7. Interactive TV
As more people adopt interactive televisions we will see a lot more device integration; TV, computers, tablets, and smart phones will become a unified single source of incoming and outgoing communication which will create more engaging experiences for customers along with greater potential for marketers. Interactive magazines will become more mainstream and marketers will no doubt try to capitalise on this opportunity to connect with their audience on a more one-to-one basis.

“With the increase in mobile and fixed internet speeds and the proliferation of new smart devices Network Ten will be focused on delivering its' viewers their favourite shows on demand and through their device of choice in 2012.”

Vincent Dempsey, Head of Digital Media,
Network Ten

8. Cloud Computing
2011 saw a huge uptake in cloud technology and this year will see this this area grow and mature. With cloud becoming more accessible to the average person, privacy and data issues are predicted to decrease and marketers will be able to truly capatilise on this potential.

9. Digital Integration
2012 will be the year of digital convergence marketing with multiplatform viewing devices.

Integration will need to be seamless across all channels and technologies as marketers become smarter about the touch points they use to connect with their audience. To survive and thrive marketers must put the customer experience first start and maintain conversations with customers across multiple channels and devices

“Digital integration can't just be about what the company wants to relay - it has to be about what the customer has to add to the conversation. The most exciting innovations come from listening, not talking.”

Dae Levine, Head of Communication,
Greenpeace

10. Accountability
“2012 will be the year of digital accountability - where investments in social media and other digital channels like cool mobile apps will need to prove their ROI in real business value terms. The answer to these questions from board level will be an effective digital strategy linked to key business objectives, and really smart use of data to understand customers, so expect a focus on pointy-headed data folk and geeky number-crunchers rather than hipster social media gurus.”

Mike Zeederberg, Managing Director,
Zuni

Overall, 2012 will be less about talk and more about action, social commerce, digital convergence and the mobile wallet will certainly be key areas to watch out for.

"To think that their passengers will understand the complexities of negotiations with unions, take their side, and return to them when it is all over, is naïve in the extreme."

Paul Harrison points outs some of the possible fatalistic brand consequences of the move by Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce, to ground the Qantas fleet around the world.

Branding is all about perception, rather than some objective reality. And the key to branding is trust. This move has the potential to further erode trust in the “flying kangaroo” amongst its key publics, including business travellers and the government.

Marketing is not about massive changes in behaviour, it is about small, incremental shifts. If Virgin are able to provide a level of service equal to Qantas, then it will be difficult for Qantas to get back all of those customers, at least in the short-term. Read more

Interbrand's Top 100 Global Brands report was released today. Coca-Cola and IBM held the Top 2 places with Apple being the fastest riser in the Top 10. The report is worth a quick look here but there were a couple of quotes that I thought were worth highlighting;

“Consistency, relevance and commitment are imperative if a brand is to keep pace in our rapidly changing world.” Jez Frampton, Interbrand’s Global Chief Executive Officer. 

“More and more brand promise will need to be delivered through a whole organisation to provide a consistent customer experience and create and sustain a meaningful brand.” Joseph Kumar Gross. Allianz SE, Head of Group Market Management

“It is our people and their ability to execute on the mission and vision of our organisation on a daily basis that builds, shapes, and increases the integrity of our brand.“ Beverley Wallace, HCA (the largest private operator of healthcare facilities in the world).

In other words the key to success is consistency, delivered throughout the whole of an organisation, by all of its employees, on a day to day basis. Easy! 

Gap, one of the most popular American clothing brands is using Social Media to build brand equity after public backlash over its new logo design. Read more

The new logo was designed by Trey Laird and his firm Laird and Partners, who have served as Gap's creative directors for many years, while working closely with Gap of North America president Marka Hansen.

For a brand to have equity it must accomplish two things over time: retain current customers and attract new ones. To the extent a brand does these things well, it grows stronger versus its competition, and delivers more value to its owners. So what should you focus your thinking on?

1. Focus on Customer Needs and Behavior
Clients and prospects will find unexpected ways of interacting with you. By having a good understanding of their needs and behavior you can create experiences that combine optimal content with the best channels.

2. Create Cross-Channel Customer Experiences
A tweet can lead customers to a blog post, which could link to a brochure which prompts them to pick up the phone and talk to someone. The ability to reach across an organisation to bring Sales, Customer Service, Marketing and other departments together is essential to building a successful customer experience.

3. Real, Meaningful Value in Your Content and Experiences
Don't waste time. Be succinct and add value to every interaction. Meeting customers differing information needs at different stages of the buying process is essential to a good experience.

4. Allocate Responsibility
A truly client focused organisation orientates itself to the needs of clients. It also allocates clear and unequivocal responsibility to someone to own the entirety of the client experience and to use this to drive the rest of the business forward.

Advertising Agency: Altavia Every, Milan, Italy
Creative Director: Fabrizio Arrigoni
Art Director: Mario Amato, Max Di Rubba
Copywriter: Danilo Palma

In this insightful blog Nick Stamoulis highlights 3 golden rules of SEO that should lead any marketing discussion especially in the highly competitive market of the SME.

Like any other marketing campaign that you have ever or will ever implement, there is a certain amount of work that should be done before you can start optimizing your website and building inbound links to increase search engine traffic. Without having enough background information or doing proper research beforehand, you are essentially wasting your time on SEO activities.

Here are 3 things you need to understand before starting an SEO campaign:

Who Your Audience Is
If you think that your target audience is “everyone”, you’re in trouble. You really need to have a firm understanding of who is or will be most interested in the products or services that you offer. Once you know who they are, the next step is to find out what their behaviors are, particularly their online behaviors. How do they spend their time online? What sites do they visit? This information will help you understand the best places to build links.

Who Your Competition Is
This is another area in which businesses tend to be unrealistic. If you are an antique furniture re-seller you are not competing with JC Penny or Ikea. Consider geographic and business size factors. Once you’ve narrowed it down to competitors within your specific niche, see what they are doing in the online space. Helpful tools like Compete and Website Grader give you intelligence regarding competitor’s websites and how they advertise and market themselves.

What Conversion You Want
SEO works to get traffic to your site, but the rest is up to the website itself. Is it conversion friendly? The first step is to know what your conversion metric will be. Do you want a visitor to buy directly from the site? Fill out a form? Call a salesperson? A site can be well optimized, but if there are no clear calls to action it won’t perform as well as it should. The kind of conversion that you are looking to achieve will influence the keywords that are chosen, which essentially are the foundation of an SEO campaign.

In order for a company to be ready to implement a social media strategy, everything else needs to be in place first. This means that a company needs to already have other marketing strategies in place like SEO, PPC, email marketing, content marketing, and traditional advertising. What many companies don’t realise is that a social media strategy will never singlehandedly result in much success. Social media works to support the brand image that has already been established through other marketing channels.