Colour influences 85% of buying decisions
Colour is not just decoration- its psychology. People decide to buy a particular product primarily because it has the colour of their liking. It conveys emotion and trust which are more powerful in marketing than facts and logic ever were. For example, Red conveys energy and excitement, blue conveys calmness and security and green conveys health and eco-friendliness. Every colour has its own magic.
You have 8 seconds to grab attention.
The average attention span of a person today is even shorter than a goldfish (9 seconds). It is because of constant consumption of short-form content and a constant flood of notifications. People have very little time to decide if the content is worth their time before moving on to something else. This is a big challenge for marketers as they have to design the content in such a way that it hooks the audience instantly. No matter how good your video is, if the first few seconds aren’t appealing, then nobody will watch the video.
Marketing is often called the second-oldest profession
This is because as long as people have traded goods and services, someone had to sell them and persuade others to buy them. Thousands of years ago, traders would use symbols, signs and loud calls to promote their products. In modern times, we see advertisements literally everywhere without even realising it. This fact conveys that marketing has a long history and influencing and persuading are deeply rooted in human nature.
Soap operas were named after soap ads
The term “soap operas” comes from soap advertisements. In 1930s and 1940s, radio was the most popular form of entertainment. To reach housewives during daytime hours, companies that produced soap, detergents and cleaning products sponsored daily dramas on radio. Big brands like Procter and Gamble and Lever brothers would fund these shows to reach customers directly. The shows that were aired started being called “soap operas” and the term became popular all over the world.
The word “brand” comes from livestock branding.
Before logos and taglines, branding meant fire and livestock. In ancient times, farmers and ranchers used hot iron to mark signs on livestock to brand or label them. This marked ownership and identified one animal from the other. This was also a symbol of reputation as animals with a particular brand logo could be identified as healthy. Over time the word “brand” evolved from marking cattle to marketing products. Now instead of just livestock, branding is used for every single item that we use everyday.
Coca-Cola helped shape the modern image of Santa Claus.
The image of Santa Claus with red suit and a white beard was shaped by Coca-Cola. Before 1930s, the image of Santa Claus varied alot. But in 1931, an illustrator from Coca-Cola named Handon Sundblom created this image of Santa Claus for their holiday ads. Coca-Cola ads contained these images that were published in magazines and billboards by the millions. This appearance of him became so iconic that it became part of global Christmas culture worldwide forever.
The most used word in marketing is “Free”
The word “Free” is present everywhere in advertising. Because it works everytime. When humans see that they are getting something without paying anything, they feel a sense of excitement. When you include the word “free”, people are more likely to take action. This word is the ultimate weapon used by marketers to attract customers.