Insurance Brands – The Colour Blue

When it comes to Insurance brands, blue is the most dominant colour used.

But why so blue?

Colour is a vital part of your company’s brand as it provides an immediate way of portraying your company’s values and market position – much more so than shapes or words. Research shows that colour increases brand recognition by up to 80% (Source: University of Loyola, Maryland study). More importantly, research also reveals that consumers make a subconscious judgment about a product within 90 seconds of initial viewing and that between 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on colour alone (Source: CCICOLOR – Institute for Color Research).

Across colour preference surveys, blue always comes out as the most popular/favourite colour, especially for men. But there’s more to the selection of brand colours than the colour preferences of a CEO or a marketing department. It all comes down to the associations and connotation we all place on colours. Blue is especially popular with financial institutions because it inspires a feeling of stability and trust – just what consumers are looking for from Brokers (& Insurers – AXA, Aviva, Allianz, AIG, Zurich…we are all at it!)

With the dominance of blue in our industry, is there an opportunity to differentiate your company by choosing a colour that stands out from the crowd? Is your company going to be the bolt out of the blue?

It’s a potentially dangerous strategy. In the sample batch Andy used he couldn’t find a single yellow brand. Why? Because arguably we perceive yellow as being happy, energetic and optimistic; all admirable qualities if you’re handing out happy meals, but probably not what consumers are looking for from a Broker. Moreover, yellow is a controversial colour as it activates the anxiety centre of your brain (yellow is often used in warning signs e.g. danger of slipping). It also apparently makes babies cry and causes couples to argue….

It’s not just the insurance industry where companies stick to the same colour. Bold sports brands are frequently red because it depicts passion and speed e.g. Nike, Puma, Speedo and Wilsons. Black is often the choice of luxury brands like Chanel, Bentley and Cartier as it’s a colour that’s associated with quality and heritage. Predominant industry colours like this should definitely be considered when setting up sub brands for niche markets.

The colours companies select for their brand are clearly important. It also far more than just an aesthetic or subjective decision. However, while colour helps with recognition and market positioning, it’s just one of many elements that form your company’s overall brand identity. Time for brand refresh? Ignition would be delighted to help (The Ignition brand is green – it’s all about down to earth growth).