The world agrees: blue is number 1

• Blue is the world’s favorite color – but a new study reveals that some European countries don’t always agree about color

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands – Blue is the world’s favorite color, according to a new international research study of nearly 13,000 consumers in 17 countries. Europe is no exception; respondents in every country studied chose blue as #1. But a closer look at the research reveals some interesting divergences in France, Germany and the U.K. The findings could have implications for brand marketers who are targeting European consumers.

For example, in France and Germany, blue is strongly associated with positive attributes – fresh, friendly, and reliable.  Respondents in the UK, however, primarily think of coldness and royalty when they see blue.

Globally, the brand most consumers relate to blue is Pepsi®, while in Europe, Levi’s® comes to mind first. The French, not surprisingly, think of Visa most often, an association with Carte Bleue® (which holds the Visa® licenses for France – and is actually blue). Another strong blue brand in France: Danone®, which ranks equal to Levi’s in blueness.

How the Study Worked
The report entitled, “Global Market Bias: Part 1- Color,” is the largest geographically balanced study on color to date. It is the first installment in a series examining brand-driven global markets. The research was conducted jointly by MSI-ITM International, an expert in online research based in the Netherlands; Cheskin, a research firm based in California; and CMCD/Visual Symbols Library, a global photography resource, also based in California.

Researchers analyzed responses from 12,929 men and women; participating countries included: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Russia, Sweden, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. Respondents were first asked to choose a favorite color, then focus on eight colors — red, blue, green, purple, orange, yellow, black and white — and rate them in terms of association with attributes, countries, companies and products.

Mike Foley, director of global business development for MSI-ITM comments: “The challenges we faced in managing a study of this magnitude were enormous. By using PlanetPanel®, our online research community, we fielded the study in 17 countries and had data ready for analysis within two weeks. That gave us a very up to date picture of world attitudes, which is crucial for global brand marketers.”

Europe’s Second Favorite Color Also Differs
When it comes to the world’s second favorite color, Europe does not agree with other regions:  Latin Americans choose black as their second favorite, green is very strong among consumers in Asia/Pacific countries, while Europeans favor red or purple, agreeing in this case with the U.S., which favors purple second-best.

Purple emerged as the second favorite color in both the U.K. and France, where it is strongly associated with royalty, prestige and innovation. The Germans, interestingly, like red second- best, a color heavily associated with love, danger and excitement. 

The product most Germans equate with red? Cars. The French, who also associate red with danger and excitement, think of another category: meat.  Yet the reddest brand in France is Coca-Cola, closely followed by Marlboro. Germans think of Marlboro first and Coke second.

EDITOR’S NOTE:
- A full-color PDF file of “GLOBAL MARKET BIAS: PART 1 – COLOR”  is available for download at www.msi-itm.com
- Key contact for European press inquiries:
Michael T. Foley, Director of Business Development, MSI-ITM
+ 33 5 59 54 88 94
m.foley@msi-itm.com
- Company principals are also available for interviews:
Paul Strasser, Managing Director, MSI-ITM
Davis Masten, Chairman & Chief Catalyst, Cheskin
Clement Mok, Founder and President, CMCD/Visual Symbols Library

ABOUT THE RESEARCHERS
MSI-ITM International, BV, based in Amsterdam, specializes in web-based marketing research and offers worldwide online communities for consumer, business to business, and specialty research. Its flagship service, PlanetPanel®, is the only multi-country online research community built, managed and accessed on a single platform. MSI-ITM is also pioneering the use of proprietary online research communities, allowing marketers to interact with customers to better understand attitudes and behaviors. For more information, visit www.msi-itm.com or contact m.foley@msi-itm.com

Cheskin is a consulting and strategic research firm grounded in marketing and design.  It is an expert on in-depth understanding of people, their cultures and the influences that motivate them. It provides a fresh perspective that guides companies at every point of the product development process, from identifying unmet customer needs to visualizing new concepts. For more information, visit www.cheskin.com or contact info@cheskin.com.

CMCD Visual Symbols Library is the world’s leading provider of royalty-free iconographic stock photography. Founded more than 10 years ago by design pioneer Clement Mok, CMCD is dedicated to providing designers and art directors with fresh yet timeless images at an affordable price. For more information, visit www.visualsymbols.com/globalstudy or contact info@cmcd.com