In the second instalment of 'Colour in Marketing' we're talking about the colour Green, what does it mean? And how can it work for your brand?
Who doesn't like the colour green?! It's synonymous with the natural world and lovely things like trees, plants, and grass – so it is often seen as the colour of new life and re-birth. Access and exposure to nature have been shown in studies to increase well-being and life expectancy. When aren't we looking for green shoots of recovery, a term usually used after an economic downturn but also relevant to our gardens and woodlands, and particularly poignant, as I write, in this time of drought.
The Green Man seems to have evolved from the ancient fertility gods such as Dionysus and Bacchus and was adopted by the early Christian church as a symbol of regeneration. Even the Latin word for green – 'viridis' is connected to a larger group of words, many of them meaning growth and health.
Green was the favourite colour of the Prophet Muhammad, and much of paradise for Muslims is symbolised by the colour. Indeed the flags of many predominantly Moslem countries include a large splash of green.
The darker side of the colour is a counterpoint to these positives. Shakespeare referred to the 'green-eyed monster' and the term 'green with envy' is often used, whether relating to your neighbour's new car or looking at the shade of grass of their lawn. Yes, green often is used when jealousy is described.
A new teacher, or young footballer on being promoted to the first team, might be called a bit 'green', and not in a flattering way. On the other hand, salad days, as in 'They were my salad days, when I was green in judgement' (also thanks to Shakespeare), but perhaps a more positive spin on youthfulness.
I suppose every colour has its yings and yangs, and green is no different.
But there is now another side to green, which has perhaps grabbed the front seat when thinking about this colour in recent times. The environment and all things eco are referred to as green (although green isn't always the colour in question!)
Whether we support the Green Party, question the use of single-use plastic, or are on the lookout for 'green washing' (where misleading claims are made about how environmentally sound a company's products are) – we are being 'green'.
All over the media now, in adverts, news items, storylines in soaps, and significant national moments, we are encouraged to be green and do our bit to save the planet. It can only be a good thing (in the writer's opinion) that we are continually reminded to change our habits, to put on a jumper rather than turn up the thermostat, and to recycle, up-cycle, or just… cycle.
In my industry, which supplies promotional merchandise, there hasn't always been the drive to sell eco-friendly items. When they did appear in catalogues and on websites a few years ago, it was a couple of pages of the products, all more expensive than the 'regular' items, and was all a bit niche and marginalised. But now they are back and are mainstream, and the equivalent of the restaurant's goat's cheese with cherry tomato vegetarian offering has been replaced by a massive amount of choice.
As mentioned above, 'green' products aren't necessarily green in colour – the brown of the recycled card works too. There are many great eco ideas, from stationery to water bottles, from bags to pens, and across the range of technological offerings. Even workwear ideas have environmental credentials, and with that in mind, the 'credentials' of all the green products I supply can all be supported by documentation.
If you are looking to use green promotional merchandise, for whatever reason, I have some great ideas to tell you about…
