U.S. News reports that “People who own emerald green automobiles…have the most positive attitude about the course of their own lives. Dark blue and silver are other colors chosen by upbeat people.”
The article goes on to say that, “Red supposedly connotes an aggressive, high-speed personality, while yellow, theoretically, is for folks with sunny dispositions. But survey data show that people who drive red or yellow cars have below-average confidence. And black cars, supposedly a sign of power and elegance, are driven by the most downbeat drivers of all.”
The information in the article was based on a survery by CNW Marketing Research in Bandon, OR. Nearly 1,900 Americans were asked about their attitudes toward their own lives at several points over the course of a year and the color of the car they drive most often
According to CNW:
“CNW got a range of answers for each respondent over time, they were also able to calculate the “moodiness” of drivers—how widely their confidence varied from one extreme to the other, in the course of a year.”
I got such a kick out of the statistics on color and moodiness. Is it really reasonable to single out one item and its color to gauge an element of personality? Well yes and no. If the survey had been only among those that purchased a car where they had all available options and then selected a particular color it might be a bit more likely to reflect something that could be linked to other traits.
But what about those who end up with a color because that was what was available? Or those that had other outside factors that influenced the color? Does their acceptance of a color still say something about them? Do you think the color of your car says something about you?
Hmmm, I was skeptical but thought it would be fun to look at the statistics from CNW and see how they played against my personal experience. Does what I think to be the outlook on life of my friends and acquaintances match up with their car color? Well to my surprise for the most part it does. Not 100% but closer than I would have anticipated.
If you asked me to name ‘glass half empty’ folks a few people come to mind and true to the survey results they all drive black cars.
I know many people that drive silver and most of them are nice people that are usually upbeat and stay on an even keel but what keeps them from pushing higher up on the positive scale is that they tend to caught up in the blame game when something negative happens.
I have two very good friends that drive green cars and both are likely to be heard telling someone “forget about it” or “move on” or “look at the upside”. They definately fall into those super positive ‘get over it’ green drivers.
Very few people I am close with drive red or other brightly colored cars but that could have to do with age and practicality as much as outlook.
But what about me? I may do this for a living but I’m no different than anyone else when it comes to reports like this. I wanted to know what it says about me!
In this case I’m happy to report that as a driver of a midnight blue car I fall into the above average group and have a consistent positive attitude. Whew, I’m glad my car isn’t black!
I read this article just a few days before I was asked to comment on the Dupont 2007 Car Color Popularity report for IBSYS broadcasting. Here what the chart says about North America:
But what if I was to combine these two car color reports? Just like the companies that created them I could use the data to arrive at my own conclusions and here’s the result — my tongue-in-cheek look at what it reveals about the mood of the drivers I might encounter.
Kate’s Color Guide to Driving on the Highway
If you want to reduce your stress when driving on the highway let color clue you in to who to steer clear of.
Just under 20% of the vehicles you encounter will be in white with driver with an average outlook in regard to their attitude about the course of their own lives and only experience modest mood swings.
These are the people that usually leave on time, listen to the radio and accept that traffic is part of life. You don’t need to worry too much most of the time about those driving white cars. Just keep in mind that extra long traffic delays that make them late for a meeting or daycare pickup could raise their anxiety level and temporarily increase their aggressiveness on the road.
About an equal number of drivers would be behind the wheel of a silver car. These folks fall into the slightly above average category when it comes to having a positive outlook and their moods are very consistent.
These are the people happily signing along to the radio but always at the ready to better their position and get through the maze of traffic a bit more quickly. They will usually give you room to merge but if you don’t keep up with the pace they’ll take the first opportunity to go around you.
Then we get to black and the 16% of drivers who have te the least positive attitudes, are consistent about it and are subject to the greatest number of mood swings. These drivers are happiest on the open road because they truly think they own the road and that traffic laws don’t apply to them.
In traffic you might recognize them by the scowl on their face and if you were in the car with them you would probably hear complaining and griping about other drivers –you know the ones that don’t know how to drive. It is best to avoid those driving black cars.
But what about those red car drivers who are often thought to be aggressive and bold? Perhaps this is the persona they take on to mask a less than positive attitude or at least that might explain why those that drive red cars are just behind black when it comes to having the least positive attitude and most pronounced mood swings.
While they might not cut you off with the same sense of entitlement a black car driver does they will race by you and slide in with a grin and sense of satisfaction.
Though far fewer, if you do see an emerald green or blue car these are the folks to follow because they drive happy!
So what color is your driving?
Resources:
U.S. News article ‘What Your Car Color Reveals About Your Psyche’…
What Leatrice Eiseman says about ‘What Your Car Color Says About You…’
The complete report from Dupont…
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From today’s New York Times– MADISON AVENUE is making like Little Jack Horner, pulling out plum after plum for the presumed delectation of consumers.
Examples of how plum may become the new black for advertisers and media companies include a new Plum Card from American Express, coupon inserts in Sunday newspapers under the RedPlum name and plum-colored labels for products like Penta water.
There is also Plum TV, a channel available in resort communities; PlumChoice Online, a PC services company; and even books by Janet Evanovich featuring a character called Stephanie Plum. The titles include “Plum Lovin’ ” and “Plum Lucky” and, coming in January, according to Dori Weintraub of St. Martin’s Press, which publishes Ms. Evanovich, “Plum Spooky.”
Trend watchers suggest several reasons so many marketers seem to be going plum loco. One recurring thought is that the success of technology brands like Apple and BlackBerry is giving fruit a good name, hence the proliferation of plums as well as brands like Pinkberry and Red Mango, which are both frozen yogurts.
Plum and purple colors also “evoke royalty, sophistication,” said Tom Julian, president at the Tom Julian Group in New York, a brand consultancy.
Those shades can appeal to “the emotional side of one’s passions and interests,” he added, “the individual desire for zest and to be distinct.”
Mr. Julian traces the growing appeal of plum to fall 2005, when “the ‘luxe’ factor emerged in the designer market” and richer hues came into favor.
Continue reading on the NYTimes.com
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Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of Pantone, Inc. and a fellow member of CMG, is quoted in Home Textiles Today as saying during her Las Vegas Market presentation, “In real estate it’s all about location, location. In color it’s context, context.”
See Leatrice’s descriptions of the Pantone 2008 home furnishings forecast…
Related links:
Pantone Color of the Year for 2008 on Live In Full Color…
Previous posts on Pantone on Color Pro…
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Fashion color authority Pantone has published its Pantone View Colour Planner for summer 2009, a forecasting tool titled “Independence.”The planner details seven palettes for use in apparel, cosmetics, interiors, industrial design and graphics:
- Female-ism: medium pastels with a tinge of retro glamour.
- Classic-ism: almost devoid of color except for one medium blue accent.
- Independent-ism: tart, bold and gregarious colors.
- Today-ism: deep, dark shades of reddish blues and brown.
- Absurd-ism: combines disproportionate color hues and values.
- Fetish-ism: “a carnal inspiration and desire for experimentation.”
- Surreal-ism: “plays with scale, combination and expectation to create unexpected, and even strange, creations.”
Tod Shulman, vice president of the fashion, home and interiors division at Pantone, said, “For summer 2009, Pantone is forecasting a trend toward color palettes that reflect individuality and make people feel good about who they are.”
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‘Green’ has become synonymous with the environmental movement so naturally companies around the globe are using the term ‘green’ and the color green to communicate that their practices and products are environmentally friendly.
Overuse of this color however coupled with the fact that many companies that claim to be ‘green’ do not in fact follow environmentally sound practices (also known as ‘greenwashing’) has reduced the positive impact of this color.
Companies looking to differeniate thenselves are choosing to use blue to communicate their commitment to the environment and as Ann Mack of JWT put it so beautifully, “represent a much broader spirit of good citizenship”.
With growning concerns over having sufficient clean water and clean air to support the global population blue, a color associated with the the ocean and sky, is a natural choice.
Add to this the fact that blue is seen as trustworthy, dependable, and committed and it simply makes sense that forward thinking companies like Mercedes-Benz that want to distance thenselves from ‘greenwashing’ and be seen above the glut of green have chosen to incorporate blue into their ‘green’ marketing. For example Mercedes-Benz coine the term Bluetec for their clean diesel fuel technology.
VW also uses blue. BlueMotion badge is an environmental sub-brand, denoting the most efficient model in each VW car range. But it’s not just automakers but also the French government that are going blue rather than green.
Blue will not replace green as the color of nature but in 2008 the color will be seen with closer associations to the enviroment and global issues.
Blue will also be a color that is influencial in many other areas. Pantone named blue the color of the year for 2008 and as we ushered in the new year many hues of blue from sky to navy were already appearing in home and fashion stores everywhere.
Related links:
Pantone 2008 color of the year…
Automakers going green with blue…
Are consumers being greenwashed…
Health conscious buyers attracted to blue…
JWT predicts trends to watch in 2008…
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Pantone has selected its “Color of the Year” for 2008: Blue Iris Pantone 18-3943.
The company said the blue-purple blend combines “the stable and calming aspects of blue with the mystical and spiritual qualities of purple,” and suggested this hue “satisfies the need for reassurance in a complex world, while adding a hint of mystery and excitement.”
“Look for it artfully combined with deeper plums, red-browns, yellow-greens, grapes and grays,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. She said Blue Iris “best represents color direction in 2008 for fashion, cosmetics and home products.”
Eiseman added, “Emotionally, it is anchoring and meditative with a touch of magic.”
More on Pantone’s color of the year on Live In Full Color…
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… but around the globe other colors are gaining on the front-runner.
Black, a color that held the top spot on the charts for years has regained its popularity and other hues that are brighter and appeal to niche markets are also stepping up to steal some of the limelight.
According to PPG Industries, a leading manufacturer of transportation coatings globally, silver held the top position as the most popular car color.
2007 Color Ranking
Silver 31.5% [down from ‘06 ranking of 33.0%]
Black 18.0% [up from ‘06 ranking of 15.4%]
White 12.5%
Blue 12.4%
Red 8.8%
Naturals (gold, orange and brown tones) 6.6%
Other/niche market colors 5.9%
Green 3.8%
It appears that while many of us want our vehicles to be “green” we don’t prefer them to be painted that color.
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