The Effects of Change in the Tint of Green Color on Packaging

Abstract

In the pursuit of gaining consumers’ attention, packaging design has proven an essential factor for companies to consider. Different components such as size, text, font, typography, material, and color collectively influence consumers in a purchasing situation. Therefore, companies must carefully assess these components in their packaging design – especially companies engaged in culturally different markets. This study seeks to investigate the effect of the color component on culturally different markets by keeping all other packaging design variables constant. More concretely, this study focuses on the difference in perception and association for Danish and Indian consumers when presented with a change in green color tint. The study then aims to determine whether culture affects how consumers perceive and associate the product based on the change in color tint. Through online surveys, Danish and Indian consumers were presented with the change in green color tint on two granola bars and asked to rate these in relation to the cues of healthiness, naturalness, and environmental friendliness. Additionally, both consumer groups were asked to consider themselves in relation to the same cues. This approach enabled the study to consider the effect on both cultural groups individually and compare these to investigate the cultural influence on the effect of changing color tint. The study’s results show that both Danish and Indian consumers’ perceptions and associations were positively affected concerning the three cues when the packaging color tint on the granola bar was changed from a vibrant tint of green to a muted one. The results also indicate a difference between how Danish and Indian consumers perceive and associate the change in color tint. Here, the results indicated that Danish consumers were more affected by the change in color tint than Indian consumers. Furthermore, the results show that Indian consumers rates themselves higher than Danish consumers in relation to all three cues. This indicates that the cultural difference between the markets may affect the consumers' perception and association caused by the change in color tint.