Colors to Use When Marketing to Men Vs. Women | Fiverr Blog (2024)

Color preferences are subjective, but it's still important to understand them from a marketing perspective. There's often a gender divide when it comes to the colors that male and female shoppers tend to like or dislike – and that can make a big difference in your marketing strategy.

The most popular color overall is…

Blue! In a study done for JoeHallock.com that surveyed the color preferences of 232 people from 22 countries, blue was the clear winner. The official results were:

Colors to Use When Marketing to Men Vs. Women | Fiverr Blog (1)

When the study separated results by gender, however, they found that blue was far more popular among men than women. While 57% of men listed blue as their favorite color, just 35% of women did so.

Another major disparity between the genders was the color purple. While 23% of women chose purple as their favorite color, it didn't even garner 1% among men. It's also interesting to note that 14% of both men and women listed green as their favorite color, and 5% of both men and women listed orange as their preferred color.

Colors preferences by women vs. men

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The marketing color gender divide: why it matters

Color psychology can help you decide which hues could make your brand stand out and which ones could increase the likelihood that customers will buy from you. Research shows that, 60% of the time, color alone determines whether or not someone will be attracted to a message. And that color also increases brand recognition by up to 80%.

An easy way to see what the predominant colors are in various industries is to visit a local grocery store. As you walk through various aisles, you'll see which colors are used most often for packaging, as well as in-store signage, in order to get your attention and entice you to buy.

The 10 most popular brand colors

James Archer analyzed 456 brand colors to determine the top 50. Though Archer assigned each one a Crayola Crayon color, if we consider them through the color categories from the study mentioned above, the 10 most popular were:

  1. Black/Almost Black
  2. Blue
  3. Red
  4. Orange
  5. Yellow
  6. Purple
  7. White
  8. Gray
  9. Green
  10. Brown

When it comes to brand colors, it's important to remember that it's not a popularity contest. As you research the meaning of color, you may find that a less popular tone like orange, often noted for warmth and energy, is right for your logo, packaging or marketing collateral. Likewise, although yellow wasn't identified as a commonly preferred hue in the study, it's one of the most attention-getting colors, second only to red.

Another factor to consider when you choose colors for your logo, website or marketing materials is your unique audience, whose preferences may differ from those of other studies. Since choosing brand colors is part preference and part science, your own favorite colors might actually be ideal for your brand.

Did you incorporate your own favorite colors into your business? How do your brand's color choices relate to the favorite colors of people overall or based on gender differences? Let us know in the comments below!

Colors to Use When Marketing to Men Vs. Women | Fiverr Blog (2024)

FAQs

Colors to Use When Marketing to Men Vs. Women | Fiverr Blog? ›

The most popular color overall is…

What are the best colors for marketing to women? ›

According to research, purple and turquoise are generally liked among most women. Turquoise is a combination of both blue and green, which are in the top 3 colors for women across multiple studies.

What are the color preferences for men and women? ›

Conclusion to Color Preferences by Gender

Blue is the most popular color for both men and women. The most unpopular color for men is brown. The most unpopular color for women is orange.

What color appeals to women? ›

Purple is considered the most appealing color for women. In Hollock's experiment, 23% of women named purple as their favorite color, and among the male respondents, there were no lovers of this color at all. That's why purple better targets an audience of women.

How is marketing to guys different from marketing to girls? ›

Men will look at the usefulness of a product or service and want to know how it works whereas women will want to know exactly what it does and will probably want “emotion-appeal”

What colors appeal to both men and women? ›

Red: Though red is one of the most popular colors that appeal to men and women, very few people choose it as the main color for their homes.

What colours are empowering females? ›

Red, orange and yellow are the 3 colors you want to wear to project power.

What color do men like on women most? ›

Scientists have revealed that wearing the colour red will make you more attractive to the opposite sex. Studies reveal that red is the most attractive colour to both men and women but, curiously, the two genders are attracted to the same colour for different reasons.

What is the most gender neutral color? ›

Light shades of green, turquoise, yellow, orange. White, cream. Pretty much all light colors except for blue for boys and pink/lavender for girls. Beige and light grey can be also used in baby clothes or blankets with no gender meanings.

What are the gender bias colors? ›

In Western societies, the stereotype prevails that pink is for girls and blue is for boys. A third possible gendered colour is red. While liked by women, it represents power, stereotypically a masculine characteristic.

Which three colors target appeal to women more? ›

According to research from Sherwin-Williams colors that appeal most to women are blue, purple, and green, while orange, brown, and gray are the least appealing. Adjusting color selections accordingly can improve conversions.

What colors attract male customers? ›

The gender difference

Studies suggest that women like blue, green and purple but dislike orange, brown and grey. The same study said that men are attracted to blue, green and black but aren't keen on brown, orange and purple.

What is the most eye catching color for marketing? ›

Red is a highly popular color in marketing because it's bold, captures attention and can evoke powerful psychological responses. Red represents power, energy, excitement, passion and urgency. The urgency response is often a reason why fast-food chains and clearance sales frequently feature red.

What gender dominates marketing? ›

Women hold 60% of all North American marketing jobs, according to data from LinkedIn, and women now hold 52% of CMO roles. But modern marketing roles are incredibly diverse in their nature.

What is the gender bias in online marketing? ›

Based on our analysis, we believe there's a 21% gender worth gap in the search marketing industry – in other words, women are, on average, viewed as 21% less valuable than their male peers, regardless of experience and other performance metrics.

What is an example of gender marketing? ›

For example, young boys are typically marketed toys like robots and cars, while girls will be targeted for dolls and stuff toys. These marketing stereotypes date back centuries to when it was believed that men and women could only fulfill specific roles.

What colors are for a feminine brand? ›

Color and Your Professional Brand: Women
  • Red is an attention grabber and can communicate power. ...
  • Pink can convey warmth, delicacy, and femininity. ...
  • Orange is cheerful, invigorating, and warm. ...
  • Blue is cool and is perceived as sincere and trustworthy. ...
  • Purple is associated with royalty: It's a luxurious color.

What is the best color to wear to attract a woman? ›

Five smaller studies (20-38 participants) comparing women's responses to men in red or gray, including their sense of the men's status, established a chain of evidence that red may enhance sexual attractiveness because red is a status symbol, according to the authors.

What is the best color for women empowerment? ›

Symbolically, purple is a hue that has been used for centuries to represent wealth, nobility, luxury and power. It is also a color used throughout modern history to represent the fight for gender equality and International Women's Day on March 8.

What are the most attractive colors for a woman? ›

Sidhu and colleagues found that black and red clothing produced the highest ratings of body attractiveness and slimmer body size judgments. In contrast, grey and green clothes produced the lowest body attractiveness and highest body size assessments.

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