Managing Images in Different Cultures: A Cross-National Study of Color Meanings and Preferences
Abstract
Color is an integral part of products, services, packaging, logos, and other collateral and can be an effective means of creating and sustaining brand and corporate images in customers’ minds. Through an eight-country study, the authors explore consumers’ preferences for different colors and color combinations. The results show cross-cultural patterns of both similarity and dissimilarity in color preferences and color meaning associations. When subjects are asked to match colors for a product logo, some color combinations suggest a consistency in meaning, whereas other combinations suggest colors whose meanings are complementary. The authors discuss implications for managing color to create and sustain brand and corporate images across international markets.
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Background colors are generally subject to different culturally specific aesthetic and symbolic conceptions and preferences.
“For example, background colors are generally subject to different culturally specific aesthetic and symbolic conceptions and preferences (Jacobs, Worthley, & Ghymn, 1991;Madden, Hewett, & Roth, 2000;Usunier, 1991), and generally have higher importance in high-context cultures.”
From Culture and Internet Consumption: Contributions from Cross-Cultural Marketing and Advertising Research (2005) · cites this paper as Madden, Hewett, & Roth, 2000
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Hermeking, M. (2005) · Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication · doi:10.1111/j.1083-6101.2006.tb00310.x · Cited by 193 · see citing works
Spence, C., & Velasco, C. (2018) · Food Quality and Preference · doi:10.1016/j.foodqual.2018.03.008 · Cited by 177 · see citing works
Harrar, V., & Spence, C. (2013) · Flavour · doi:10.1186/2044-7248-2-21 · Cited by 124 · see citing works
Can colored sidewalk nudge city tourists to walk? An experimental study of the effect of nudges
Chen, J., Lehto, X., Lehto, M., & Day, J. (2023) · Tourism Management · doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2022.104683 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
- Authors
- Madden, T. J., Hewett, K., & Roth, M. S.
- Affiliations
- University of South Carolina (US)
- Winthrop University (US)
- ORCID
- Hewett, Kelly
- Venue
- Journal of International Marketing
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2000-12
- Volume
- 8
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 90-107
- ISSN
- 1069-031X (ISSN-L)
- 1547-7215
- OpenAlex
- W2097039984
- Cited by
- 607
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 37 · 2024: 35 · 2023: 42 · 2022: 31 · 2021: 43 · 2020: 40 · 2019: 46 · 2018: 29 · 2017: 44 · 2016: 32 · 2015: 41 · 2014: 37 · 2013: 30 · 2012: 20
- FWCI
- 3.47
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of International Marketing (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Color perception and design
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Cultural Differences and Values
- Keywords
- color preference, meanings of colour, color symbolism, cross-cultural comparison, brand image, corporate image, logo design, color combinations, consumer perception, international marketing
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