Blacklisted? Not any more

Rukmani Easwaran, a housewife from New Delhi, is looking to buy a wedding gift for her nephew. She can’t decide between a home theatre system and a wrist watch. After much deliberation, she settles on the former, but chooses to buy it in navy blue or maroon, instead of in black, her favourite colour.

It’s after all a wedding, she reasons, “and whoever gifts black?”

The colour black has associations both positive and negative. In the West, it is most commonly associated with mourning, impurity, evil, violence and the occult but also symbolises power and elegance. In the Eastern world, especially in India, the colour has similar negative associations.

However, now, it is slowly emerging as a colour of choice , at least in some cases, in a market that has for long viewed it in an unfavourable light.

Urban-rural divide “In a rural environment it would be recommended to steer clear of black branding as the association is far too close to menacing and inauspicious. The only way in which black can work in a rural set-up is by creating an association between the product and something that naturally occurs in black. For instance, a new toothbrush has been introduced by a brand, with black bristles; it claims to be infused with charcoal. This product and its communication would work in rural India, because traditionally, charcoal has been used to clean teeth. In urban India, however, where this practice is little known, the product may click because it’s offering consumers something different, distinct and new in terms of product packaging,” says Smita Rajgopal, Founder of branding and design consultancy Smitten.

“It’s all in the positioning. A black pack of perfume associates well with mystique, or a predominantly black-packaged shampoo could subconsciously associate with rich black hair,” she adds.

Black is a no-no for a wedding party or religious ceremonies as a choice of apparel, says fashion designer Bhaavya Bhatnagar. “But people are open to black in western formals; for occasions such as parties, and black-tie dinners,” she adds.

India’s acceptance of black, at least in some categories, is a result of globalisation, increased exposure.

Right now, it is mostly limited to urban areas, believes Bedraj Tripathy, Senior General Manager, Marketing, Godrej Interio. While black works for cars, furniture, gadgets, computers, and apparel, “I have not seen too much of it in FMCG products,” he adds. A salesman at a Hyundai dealership in Chennai says the company has stopped making black versions of its small cars/hatchbacks. It sells black only in sedans now. “Black vehicles don’t move much. They absorb a lot of heat which is not helpful in a hot country like India. Culturally too, people here are against black, they don’t like to buy black products. Their resale value is low too,” he adds.

However, a salesman at a Maruti dealership, also in Chennai, says only about 10 per cent of prospective customers at his showroom reject black because it has connotations of inauspiciousness. The majority of them do not want it because a black car becomes very hot and dust and dirt show up easily on it.

He observes that customers in certain professions tend to stick to certain colours. Lawyers, for instance, prefer black cars, while doctors go for white and priests go for “Sunlight Copper”.

Blending with background “Black is not really shunned by people for their gadgets of daily use,” says Kishlay Ray, Vice-President (Marketing), Sharp Business Systems India. Consumers are now much more willing to accept black in certain categories such as cell phones, as the colour fades the least and it absorbs radiation better, says Pankaj Bhasin, Head (Marketing Communications) Sunstrike Telecom, which makes the Rage brand of mobile phones. “One hasn’t faced any difficulty in marketing black-coloured phones since consumers, for long, have preferred them in the colour,” says Soumitra Gupta, Managing Director and CEO of Taiwan-based phone manufacturer Oplus, India.

Changes in lifestyles and mindsets are breaking down the resistance to black. “In homes, white goods such as ovens, fridges, air-conditioners and washing machines in black have seen acceptance and are chosen because they can fit into any background,” says Ranjith Nair, Head, Business Development, Siemens Home Appliances, India.

As integrating as it can be, the colour provides an edge too. “Black products stand out visually in displays,” adds Neeraj Gupta, GM (Sales and Marketing), Living Environment Division, Mitsubishi Electric India. “A black-coloured appliance is also perceived to be a ‘premium’ product,” says Shanta Roy Sanjeev, Marketing Head, Haier India. “It makes the product look durable and sturdy,” adds Suresh Sethi, Head of Global Consumer Design, Whirlpool of India.

“If the choice was to buy a home theatre for my house, I would have most certainly bought one in black. It matches everything,” says Rukmani Easwaran.

Had it been a gift for another occasion, she would have surely gone for black. Would she ever consider wearing black for a wedding or for any other ritual anytime in the near future? “Of course not, it’s inauspicious,” comes the reply.

Black is beautiful, yes, but clearly, old beliefs die hard.

With inputs from Sravanthi Challapalli