What is the impact of colour?
Reserch from Canada studies the impact colour newspaper advertising has on consumers over a five year period.
The Canadian Newspaper Association (CNA), in conjunction with Canadian Community Newspapers Association (CCNA) have released 5 years worth of findings about the impact of colour advertising in newspapers when compared to B&W press ads.
The research, in the form of surveys, looks at how colour influences the Reading and Noting of advertisements in newspapers. Results are below.
| Year | Method | B&W | Colour |
| 2003 | Reading & Noting | 100 | 119 |
| 2004* | Reading & Noting | 100 | 134 |
| 2004** | Reading & Noting | 100 | 124 |
| 2006 | Reading & Noting | 100 | 115 |
| 2007 | Reading & Noting | 100 | 114 |
| 2008 | Reading & Noting | 100 | 118 |
| Average | 100 | 121 |
* CNA’s 2004 survey (This study allowed for the isolation of one factor – in this case colour.)
** Starch Canada Ad norms
Key findings:
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The surveys are unanimous – colour ads are more likely to attract attention than black and white ones.
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The advantage ranged from 14% to 34%.
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The 2004 CNA study was based on three matched samples. This allowed for test and control situations to be set up in which the impacts of all factors other than the one being tested were controlled for. Thus, the impact of colour in this test was not affected by size, positioning or any other factors that impact ad reading and noting. Instituting these controls showed the true impact of colour to be 34%.
Download the PDF below to find out more about the results, as well as the methodologies used. The PDF also contains more information about the relationship between colour and the size of the advertisement, as well as how males and females are influenced by colour advertising.
For more information about the role and impact of colour in advertising, download our presentation, The Effectiveness of Colour in Newspapers.
More case studies and research into newspaper advertising can be found on the CNA website.