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INTAGE Thailand key business objective is to provide entrepreneurs and marketers with intelligence that is essential to their decision-making process.

Color, Culture Investigation: Differences that Matter in Business (Part I/II)

Have you ever wondered if human beings would be able to communicate their message and hidden emotion without colours? Without colour evolution, market competition would become dull and pale, unlike what we normally experience these days.

INTAGE (Thailand) Co., Ltd. - in collaboration with 3 INTAGE offices in Japan, China and Vietnam - conducted a study earlier this year under the supervision of INTAGE Academy centered in Bangkok. It covered 1,500 male/female 18-55 year-old consumers with average income and higher, in Tokyo, Osaka, Beijing, Shanghai, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Aiming at decoding and comparing consumers among different cultures quantitatively and qualitatively, the study showed interesting outcomes on the importance of color and the differences among nationalities in color preference, definition and meaning, as well as its significance as a buying factor. The result proves meaningful for marketers, and is summarized as below.

Decoding Color Symbolism in 4 countries

Color often denotes message, sign, symbol and deeper meaning than what we superficially see. Specifically when there are many colours present together, a new meaning may come up.

The meaning of color differs and changes depending on context. For instance, a red circle often connotes a Japanese flag when it is placed upon a white rectangular, but refers to a clown when it is on a nose, yet signifies a traffic light when appears with a yellow and a green circle.

Differences in Similarities

The survey of INTAGE Academy reveals similarities and differences of color preferences in 4 countries, as follow:

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Favorite Color: By Total

1. Chinese people favor blue, followed by red and purple.

Blue for Chinese is a symbol of freedom, far-flung, professionalism, modernism, and newness. At present blue color signifies the New China. Recently we can see that new, modern brands in China use blue as their color cue.

Red for Chinese signifies the nation, good luck, happiness, and power - a Genetic Value to most Chinese people. Red therefore means the Mass China, witnessed by big brands in the country that use red as their color cue for a long time.

Purple is the 3rd favorite ranking. To them, purple is a symbol of extravagance and richness which is one of the Learned Values of Chinese people. Purple now means the Rich/Novelty China, connoting lifestyle of the rich and new Chinese who wish to express their power through their hi-class taste and luxurious style. This shows in an increasing popularity of branding products among Chinese people, driving China to be No. 1 luxury product market in the world in the near future. A big number of local extravagant brands, likewise, have been launched widely to the market during the past 3-4 years.

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2. Japanese people favor blue, followed by pink and black.

Although Japanese favor blue color like Chinese, but blue for Japanese signifies life and spirit, unlike materialism or modernism in China. Japanese people live on the island surrounded by seas and oceans; as a result, blue has been the very color attached to them most. Blue is a representative of harmony, peace, peace-of-mind, naturalism, simplicity. When Japanese artists paint Mount Fuji, river or stream, they usually use blue as it is the color of identity and spirit of the nation that resides within nature for long.

Pink is a symbol of Sakura, Spring, the beginning of happiness, and new creation. Pink also signifies nature in a bright joyful aspect, a regular start of new things, and youth.

Black, the 3rd rank, denotes rebellion, resistance to norms, restriction and social strictness. It also means formalism and professionalism. Japanese people usually wear black at formal occasions.

3. Thai people favor light blue, followed by red and lime green.

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Light Blue for Thai people implies freedom, clear and spacious, peace-of-mind, problem-free (from politics). It also denotes lively, relaxed feeling and hope, as associated with a Thai saying which is closed to 'After the storm comes the calm' in English.

Red is a symbol of good luck, enthusiasm, notability, fashionable, or 'to-be-seen' at a party. Those who would like to be perceived likewise choose red dress at a social function, or public places.

Lime green for Thai people means going back to nature, a simplified life, and holiday that the Thais like. Recently it is seen that activities related to meditation and Buddhism has become increasingly popular, in all generations and segments. They choose lime green as their preference because they refer the color to the spring of new leaves, which is a fresh, bright, blossoming green.

4. Vietnamese people favor red, followed by black and light blue.

Red for Vietnamese people reflects a belief in fortune as well as an influence of color favor from China. In addition, it also symbolizes enthusiasm, determination and success which are all the main values of the current Vietnamese society.

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Black is a symbol of the Modern Vietnam because black color signifies power, strength, luxury, as well as bad luck and death at the same time.

It is observed that modern Vietnamese express their modernity and westernization by using black more freely. On the contrary, the older generation and those in rural area still avoid using black. Marketers therefore should be careful and very specific when it comes to the target group, since the same black color may be well accepted or badly rejected at the same extent by Vietnamese consumers.

Light blue, the 3rd ranked color, means being neutral, hope, and peace which is the feeling that resides deep down in the Genetic Value of the Vietnamese after the cruel experience from the long-term war in the past.