How to use color and lighting in your adverts to convey a feeling to your target audience

I spent over 30 hrs analysing FB & IG ads of a very particular niche: FOOD & SUPPLEMENTSðŸ±ðŸŽ.

I thought: So, this is a UNISEX product niche, right? So, why is that looking at the ads, it seems like the niche is very much divided in products for MALES and FEMALES?

After a cup of tea to clear my head, the first thing that came to my mind was.

- The food products for males look very “MANLY” - Look at this beer! Great for a night out with the boys.

- For women, products looked “gorgeous”? - This hummus looks delicious! Definitely for the next night with the gals!

We all know this: ADS are great to target the right audience!

Why ads are so effective at making food & supplements look so much attached to a specific gender? Is it the words used? (Copywriting)ðŸ“ Is it the music on the video ads?ðŸŽ§ Is it the story told? (Storytelling)ðŸŽ

This is important, yes. However, when it comes to ADS, the best 2 tools advertisers use are : Color and lighting

And here is why!â¬‡ï¸â¬‡ï¸â¬‡ï¸

Let’s start with colors

Colors

E-commerce brands/ Digital agencies design their female-targeted ads with the delicate hues. Shiner purple, hotter pinks, for example. Male ads often contain bolder colors like black & blue, to appeal to men as more “masculine” & “strong.

Food Ads that are directed to males always have stronger and darker colors. It is all related to the usual environment that surrounds the visuals targeted at men. For example Sports, gadgets, movies, etc. The colors used have been related to Strength, toughness, and manliness

On the other hand, Food Ads directed to females is always created with lighter colors. In this case, it follows the visual content that has been delivered to women for ages! The lighter color palette conveys a sense of elegance and femininity.

Lighting

Lighting is very important to make your product look good! In fact, it is one of the most important tools for any photography/videographer out there!

So, how do advertisers use it?When it comes to Ads for men, the lighting produces a lot more shadows (rough light). Secondly, the product or image is not as bright as the ones for women. Again, Male products try to convey a sense of strength, toughness, and manliness.

For women, Ads lighting is different. The lighting is used to produce bright images, reduce shadows, and even produce an effect of shininess. But this one is very interesting.

I found that a lot of Food ads for women are very similar to ADS in the cosmetic niche.My theory, the industry of cosmetics has been so successful conveying feeling with advertising that the food industry simply copy the style!

Secondly, Cosmetic & Food ads have very common goals: To convey: elegance, femininity, freshness, organic, & natural.

That's all for now. Anyway, What do you think about it?

How do you use color and lighting to convey a feeling?

How do you segment your audience?

Feel free to tell me in the comment section below

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