In 2011, the Australian government passed a law requiring uniform packaging for cigarettes. “All external surfaces of the primary and secondary packaging must be in the color ‘Pantone 448 C’,” it says. And there is a very specific reason for that.
Market researchers commissioned by the Australian Department of Health have previously found that ‘Pantone 448 C’ is the most unattractive color of all. In addition to “Pantone 448 C,” dark gray and mustard yellow were also classified as particularly unattractive to buyers. The Ministry of Health wanted to find the most disgusting color for the planned standardization of cigarette packs to deter potential buyers.
The market researchers worked exactly the opposite way to what they normally do, Victoria Parr explained to the Australian daily ‘The Age’ at the time. Parr was part of the research team of the market research institute Growth from Knowledge (GfK). Normally, researchers would work to create attractive packaging to attract new customers, Parr continued. “Instead, our job was to help our customers reduce demand, with the ultimate goal of minimizing product consumption,” the market researcher continued.
And that’s how the researchers came across the color, which the Australian Department of Health initially described as olive green. However, this name angered Australian olive entrepreneurs, who saw the stone fruit’s reputation in jeopardy. Since then, people only talk about “Pantone 448 C”. The color comes from the color system of the American company Pantone.
Australia saw a significant drop in cigarette sales after the law was introduced. In 2016, other countries decided to specify “Pantone 448 C” for cigarette packaging. These countries include: Canada, France, United Kingdom, Ireland, Israel, Norway, New Zealand, Slovenia, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, Thailand, Singapore, Turkey, Belgium and the Netherlands.
However, “Pantone 448 C” doesn’t just seem to repel people. The color was also used in ‘Mona Lisa’ by Leonardo da Vinci.
Source: Watson
I am Dawid Malan, a news reporter for 24 Instant News. I specialize in celebrity and entertainment news, writing stories that capture the attention of readers from all walks of life. My work has been featured in some of the world’s leading publications and I am passionate about delivering quality content to my readers.
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