Advertising is a powerful tool for businesses to reach their target audience and promote their products or services. But what about black and white advertising? Is it as effective as color advertising? Recent research has shed light on the implications of using black and white instead of color in advertising. On average, readers found that black and white ads were less visually appealing than color ads. Just under half of readers found one-page black and white ads to be visually appealing, while 71% of readers indicated that four-color one-page ads were visually appealing.
This suggests that an opportunity is lost when an advertiser posts an ad in black and white, as it may leave an unattractive impression on some readers. A study published in the Journal of Consumer Research has explored the effects of black and white advertising on consumer decision making. While color has been shown to promote attention, memory, and positive evaluations, researchers wanted to know if there were any drawbacks to using black and white. The study found that black and white advertising causes consumers to focus on basic product features, while color advertising can influence consumers to pay more for products with unnecessary extras.
This suggests that black and white can help keep consumers focused on the basics, while color can help advertisers promote specific features that could differentiate their product from the competition. For example, in its recent rebranding campaign, PokerStars used a highly cinematic format with black and white images for its fast-paced 1-minute commercial. Black is also useful for directing customer attention, especially in situations where high contrast and legibility are important. To see the impact that color can have on ad performance, look at the ad below, which first ran in black and white and then updated with color.
According to a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, consumers who see black and white ads tend to focus on the basic features of a product, while those who see the same color ads focus on non-essentials. The convergence of black and white (more than any other color combination) is an example of how two divergent colors communicate more powerfully with each other than on their own. This suggests that when ads can effectively produce black and white stories, they spark consumer interest and a desire to achieve what is offered to them. Overall, it appears that black and white advertising can be effective when used strategically. By focusing on basic product features, advertisers can create compelling stories that capture consumer attention. However, it is important to consider the visual appeal of an ad when deciding whether to use black and white or color.