When it comes to evocative names, nothing can beat paint — except for, perhaps, another colorful product (nail polish).

As the US housing market faltered, sales of interior paint fell, so paint companies had to come up with something to encourage consumers to get their brushes out. The answer? Branding colors with names that carry emotion, intrigue, mystery — or even puzzlement.

Sue Kim, a color trend and forecast specialist for Valspar, a leading maker of paints, tells the New York Times, "For a long time we had to connect the color name with the general color reference. But now, we're exploring color names that are a representation of your lifestyle." So what color is your personal brand?Continue reading...

You may not have thought about how the recession and flattened housing market have affected paint sales, unless of course, you are in the paint business. Total revenues for exterior paint dropped 12% between 2007 and 2009, according to market researcher Mintel.

Valspar is one paint company seeking to remedy this with emotions rather than color. “Everyone’s fighting over the same features and benefits. ‘I have 3,500 colors,’ ‘No, I have 4,000 colors,’ ‘Mine’s a paint and primer in one,’” comments Valspar marketing director Susanne Champ to the New York Times.

When Valspar asked consumers how they perceived the category, she adds, “they told us that painting is an emotional journey with lots of highs and lows.”

Valspar prides itself on thinking outside the walls. The brand's new campaign, by Euro RSCG Chicago, was shot at locations in Australia, with a 16x30 foot wall becoming a virtual, changeable canvas. Previous Valspar ads used natural objects such as this example to show the subtleties in the brand's color palette.Continue reading...