Elizabeth Woyke and Brian Caulfield, Forbes.com
If Apple and Steve Jobs have their way, Christmas will spark thoughts of Santa, reindeer–and brightly colored iPod nanos.
Apple recently rolled out brightly hued versions of the nano handsets, including a red iPod nano and iPod shuffle. Apple’s ads push the colorful little music players with the simple tag line “nano-chromatic.”
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Apple was the first company to realize that gizmo players are as much about personal expression as they are about function. More recently, companies cranking out mobile phones have caught on, too. “Phones are becoming reflections of us as individuals and an important way to express our personalities,” says Ehtisham Rabbani, vice president of product strategy and marketing for LG.
In Pictures: The Message Your iPod Sends
It’s a sharp contrast to the drab shades most consumer electronics sported just a few years ago. Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, says tech companies, with the exception of forward-thinking Apple, largely ignored her color recommendations up through the ’90s. “They didn’t understand the impact of color–they felt it had nothing to do with their devices,” she recalls.
That’s changing. The color trend in cellphones ramped up in mid-2007. Consider the Samsung Juke, which Verizon released in October 2007 in red, aqua and royal blue. Phones like the sporty Juke, which appeal to younger consumers, are often first to get the color treatment. Nokia just announced two new colors–passionate purple and graphite–for its fashion-conscious Supernova line of phones in Europe.
Handsets that target older customers, such as pricey smart phones, are more likely to be offered in more conservative colors, says Sapna Tahliani, a device marketing manager for Verizon Wireless. That’s starting to change, though. Research In Motion’s BlackBerry, long considered the workhorse of smart phones, now comes in pink, red, amethyst, gold and–in the U.K.–a reddish orange shade called “sunset.”
That’s because our emotional reactions to color guide our shopping decisions, says Eiseman. That has handset manufacturers studying color psychology, investing in materials research and consulting color forecasts. “Our design group is completely hooked into what’s happening in fashion, autos and interior décor,” says Rabbani. New colors can hit stores within six months.
Of course, no one knows that better than Apple. It’s iPod nano now comes in nine colors. However, when it comes to adding color to mobile phones, Apple lags behind. While a myriad of colorful third party cases and covers are available, Apple’s phones still come with just a basic black, or white, back.
Apple isn’t the only phone maker going for a basic look. In a sign that neutrals aren’t totally passé, Rabbani says black is LG’s most “stable” color across all demographics. Among younger consumers, light blue is increasingly hot. “Blue is a safe color with appeal across gender and age groups,” he notes. “Light blue stands out; it’s the new pink.” LG relaunched the Chocolate, a sleek music player/phone, earlier this year in a pale blue.
Fittingly, blue is America’s favorite color, says Eiseman. “Consumer products often include blue in some form because a certain percentage of the population will always respond to it,” she adds.
Some colors, such as yellow and green, don’t resonate with consumers. “You won’t see a yellow phone from us soon,” says Rabbani. LG’s green enV phone, however, enjoyed surprising success despite testing poorly with focus groups. Rabbani says a promotional tie-in with a Shrek film probably helped.
Manufacturers that sell around the world customize their colors to local tastes. Americans prefer simple, unadorned colors, says Rabbani. Carriers also influence color options by requesting exclusive rights to particular shades.
Only certain handset models get a color dipping. Carriers are wary of slicing the market too thin. Occasionally, phones will sell better than expected and earn a “color refresh.” That was the case with the Chocolate, which was first offered in black in July 2006. By December 2007, it had expanded to six more colors, including white, “mint” and “cherry.”
The newest trend is to offer music players and handsets in several shades right away. “Sometimes you don’t get the full appeal of a phone if you only launch with one color,” explains Rabbani. When LG unveiled its Venus in November 2007, it carried black and hot-pink versions to target both men and women.
Gadget makers and carriers expect the color trend to keep growing. Over the next 10 years, as the inner workings of phones shrink and manufacturing costs drop, “You’ll be able to put a thicker texture of design around the phone,” says Christian Lindholm, director of Fjord, a London-based strategic design consultancy.
Says Eiseman, “Today, if you don’t do something that involves color, you’re seen as very backward or very boring.” Clearly, that’s a message few people want to send about themselves.
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