Colour purple rules the mailbox

February 3, 2006

Received any purple-coloured mail recently? Chances are you will. Massey Marketing researchers have found that purple has a previously unrecognized appeal – at least when it comes to mail surveys.

As part of a wider survey, researchers Jan Charbonneau and Mike Brennan tested response rates to four questionnaire colours: red, green, blue and yellow. In a survey of 1600 New Zealanders, drawn at random from the Electoral Roll, the different coloured questionnaires generated significantly different response rates. They varied from 60 percent response to a non-purple questionnaire to 71 percent response to a purple one. Purple was also the most effective across gender and all age groups.

They say that clearly shows that questionnaire colour can affect mail survey response rates – a finding that may have wider application.

The result surprised Jan Charbonneau and Mike Brennan: “Purple seemed the least attractive and most likely to make the questionnaire hard to read.” They can only speculate on why purple shows as more effective. “Research on psychological effects suggests blue is cool, typifying restraint, yellow connotes warmth, and red and orange warmth and action. Not much is said about purple.”

One view is that it’s easier to see and find a purple questionnaire or reminder letter. “But this doesn’t explain our findings because all four colours were visually intrusive. It might be a combination of perceptual and emotional factors, given that purple has connotations with royalty and a market-leading brand of chocolate.”

The purple phenomenon is likely to interest to those who regularly conduct mail surveys: “ Many techniques are used to improve response rates,” say the Massey team, “but the most effective, such as pre-paid incentives and reminders, add to cost and effort. But other techniques that don’t cost more may also be effective. And one of these is colour.”

Source: Massey University

3.7 /5 (9 votes)  

Rank 3.7 /5 (9 votes)
Tags

Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

A frank discussion of the power law and linking correlation to causation

(PhysOrg.com) -- Michael Stumpf a mathematics professor at Imperial College in London, and Mason Porter a lecturer at Oxford have teamed together to write and publish a perspective piece in Science regarding the in ...

Other Sciences / Mathematics

created Feb 10, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 8 | with audio podcast report

US workers are 'giving away the store,' costing firms billions

Nearly 70 percent of the nation's service employees give away free goods and services – from hamburgers to cable TV – costing companies billions of dollars a year, according to a groundbreaking study.

Other Sciences / Economics & Business

created Feb 09, 2012 | popularity 3.5 / 5 (4) | comments 10

New insights into how to correct false knowledge

The abundance of false information available on the Internet, in movies and on TV has created a big challenge for educators.

Other Sciences / Social Sciences

created Feb 07, 2012 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (7) | comments 9 | with audio podcast

Employers feel no love for unscrupulous practice of 'service sweethearting'

A new study led by two Florida State University marketing professors finds that some frontline service employees who are rewarded for hikes in customer loyalty and satisfaction also may engage in "service ...

Other Sciences / Economics & Business

created Feb 10, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 7

Neanderthal demise due to many influences, including cultural changes: study

As an ice age crept upon them thousands of years ago, Neanderthals and modern human ancestors expanded their territory ranges across Asia and Europe to adapt to the changing environment.

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created Feb 07, 2012 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (5) | comments 8 | with audio podcast


Walney offshore wind farm is world's biggest (for now)

(PhysOrg.com) -- The Walney wind farm on the Irish Sea--characterized by high tides, waves and windy weather--officially opened this week. The farm is treated in the press as a very big deal as the Walney ...

GPS court ruling leaves US phone tracking unclear

A US Supreme Court decision requiring a warrant to place a GPS device on the car of a criminal suspect leaves unresolved the bigger issue of police tracking using mobile phones, legal experts say.

Anonymous briefly knocks CIA website offline (Update 2)

The website of the Central Intelligence Agency was briefly inaccessible on Friday after the hacker group Anonymous claimed to have knocked it offline.

Europeans protest controversial Internet pact

Tens of thousands of people marched in protests in more than a dozen European cities Saturday against a controversial anti-online piracy pact that critics say could curtail Internet freedom.

Study finds that anti-diabetic medication can prevent the long-term effects of maternal obesity

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting, in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report findings that show that short therapy with the anti-diabetic medication ...

Europe stakes billion-dollar bet on new rocket

A pencil-slim rocket is scheduled to lift into space from South America on Monday, carrying a billion-dollar bet that Europe can grab a juicy slice of the market to place satellites in low orbit.