Stop Studying the Same People

In 2006, a team of researchers set out to study the different ways people experience color. They interviewed members of the Himba tribe, a semi-nomadic group in Namibia who lead a hunter-gatherer lifestyle that involves close interaction with natural landscapes. It quickly became clear that the Himba categorized colors differently from people in Western societies. What we would call blue in English, they did not distinguish from lime green: both were called buru. Meanwhile, both lighter and darker shades of green belonged to other categories (dambu and zuzu, respectively).¹

This difference may seem inconsequential, but it has deep implications for how we communicate with one another. Color bears rich associations. Blue, for example, calls to mind the ocean and the clear sky, denim jeans, and business suits. If an advertisement features a blue car, it conveys a sense of calm and stability to Western audiences. How different would its effect be if it also evoked the more playful associations of bright green, like sports fields and sour candy?

This contrast in language seems to reflect a difference in what our environments train us to see. We notice—and name—what matters in our world. In the West, we encounter a range of synthetic colors, with both blues and greens abounding. In Himba society, surrounded by desert and grasslands, distinguishing between shades of green can make a world of difference. This is not coded in our DNA: Homer, writing in Ancient Greece, described the sea as “wine-dark,” attributing little importance to its blue hue. There are cultural reasons that can explain why color perception differs between groups, and these provide both pitfalls and opportunities for those looking to attract consumer attention.

Large companies looking to connect with customers of diverse backgrounds need to consider how culture changes our perceptions. If not, they risk limiting the effectiveness of their outreach efforts to people from the same backgrounds as those in their marketing departments. Opportunity waits at the margins; valuable insights can be gained by expanding the kinds of perceptions you listen to.