Google researching use of color in business

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Google is one of the major U.S. corporations researching the power of color in the working world, in everything from workspaces to marketing and branding.

Meghan Casserly, spokeswoman for the organization built around the popular search engine, says Google has already found "a clear link between color and satisfaction with a person's work area," which in turn can boost employee creativity and productivity.

Elyria Kemp, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of New Orleans, says there's more competition than ever for time and attention, and color is "the silent salesperson."

She says when consumers make an evaluation of a product offering, typically they do this within 90 seconds or less, and more than half of their initial assessment is based on color alone.

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