The team at Good & Gold is spectacular. They were quickly able to assess our marketing needs and offered a thorough and measurable plan for achieving results. Working in partnership, we have exceeded most of the goals we set out to achieve and have moved on to impressive new objectives. Additionally, and importantly, the team is staffed by wonderful humans. We were cautious when bringing in a marketing partner, but the folks at Good & Gold have become an extension of the Stumptown family.
The team at Good & Gold is not just knowledgeable and lightning fast, they are who we trust with our digital marketing needs. They have become an important part of our team who we rely on daily. Never has there been a challenge that have not been able to tackle.
Color is one of a designer's most powerful tools, capable of capturing attention and evoking deep emotions. Each person's reaction to color is shaped by their unique life experiences and cultural associations, which makes color a uniquely subjective yet universal language. As Sean Adams aptly puts it in The Designer’s Dictionary of Color, 'Color is subjective and emotional. It is a language all its own. It can be loud or quiet, somber or whimsical; it can remind us of the sea or a school, a factory or a forest. Color is an incredibly powerful tool.'
For marketers, understanding the psychology of color is essential for creating impactful digital experiences. Whether you’re choosing vibrant hues to boost engagement or more subdued tones to build trust, the right color choices can profoundly influence consumer behavior, brand perception, and user engagement. By tapping into the stories and emotions behind each color, brands can connect with their audiences in more meaningful ways.
When deciding on a brand palette, it’s essential to first consider the emotions, meanings, and associations behind potential colors. What messages or ideas does the brand want to communicate? Are there associations it should avoid?
Before choosing a color, start by defining the brand’s personality. We recommend reflecting on these key questions to guide the process:
Once the brand personality is clearly defined, you can begin exploring colors that align with and amplify that identity.
Each color carries a rich history of associations and meanings, with the power to evoke strong emotions and influence consumer behavior. With the brand personality in mind, let’s explore how each color is perceived and how you can use them effectively in your marketing strategy!
RED
Red is bold and stimulating, often symbolizing love and passion but also associated with danger and urgency. It’s attention-grabbing and can dominate an environment, making it a powerful choice in marketing to evoke strong emotional responses. Designers often use red as an “exclamation point” in compositions, drawing the eye instantly.
ORANGE
Orange radiates warmth, joy, and creativity. It’s often linked to energy and happiness, sitting between the fierceness of red and the brightness of yellow. It is the color of sunsets and ripe summer fruit. Orange is a great choice for brands wanting to project playfulness and approachability.
YELLOW
Yellow embodies happiness, sunlight, and optimism, signaling positive energy and hope. However, it also has associations with caution (think yellow traffic signs) and even cowardice. Designers must be careful with yellow’s use to ensure the tone matches the desired message.
GREEN
Green is the color of life, symbolizing nature, health, growth, and prosperity. Traditionally linked to success, it signals "go" in traffic lights, is considered "lucky" in Western culture, and evokes feelings of relaxation and peace. Positioned between yellow and blue on the color wheel, it blends the joy of yellow with the tranquility of blue.
BLUE
Blue conveys trust, honesty, and loyalty, making it a client-favorite choice for brand design. While blue can be soothing, it can also evoke sadness if overused. Culturally, blue is often seen as masculine, while pink is associated with femininity. Brands often use blue to communicate professionalism and stability, especially in corporate settings.
PURPLE
Purple represents spirituality and is commonly associated with royalty, Eastern religions, and Catholicism. Purple is both luxurious and mysterious, evoking inspiration and a sense of fantasy. Its depth can also convey an air of intimidation and superiority.
PINK
Pink is the color of femininity and romance. It communicates love, compassion, and innocence. With strong gender associations, it has been a staple in baby girls’ clothing for decades. While it represents youth and sweetness, too much pink can sometimes come across as overly childlike or whimsical.
BROWN
Most cultures connect brown with the earth. Brown is a stable, comforting color that represents nature and safety. It is the color of coffee, chocolate, and wood, and often carries warm emotions with it. Its complexity allows for a range of warm to cool tones, so designers should be strategic in selecting the right shades of brown.
GRAY
Gray is a neutral and conservative color that exists on a spectrum between black and white. While it can seem emotionless, its perception varies with tone: light gray appears subtle and sophisticated, while dark gray exudes richness and elegance. The phrase “gray area” implies moral ambiguity.
BLACK
A powerful tool, black will add depth to any project. It symbolizes discipline, formality, and confidence. While excessive use of black can feel overwhelming and depressing, when applied strategically, it can convey sophistication and maturity. When paired with other colors, the perceived meaning of black can shift and evolve.
WHITE
Often viewed as blank or "white space," white is rarely used as a dominant color. However, when paired with other colors, it creates contrast and drama. White can bring a sense of openness and space to branding, but it needs to be paired thoughtfully with other elements to avoid feeling stark. Culturally, it symbolizes purity, cleanliness, and innocence.
Once you’ve defined your brand personality and gained a solid understanding of color psychology, it's time to determine which colors will work best for your brand. Here are a few essential tips to guide your decision-making process:
Select colors that enhance and align with your brand personality: The colors you choose should reflect the essence of your brand. For example, a brand that embodies innovation and creativity may opt for vibrant, bold colors, while a brand focused on luxury and refinement might lean toward deeper, more sophisticated tones.
Consider colors that set you apart from competitors: Take note of the colors commonly used in your industry, but aim to differentiate yourself. Choosing a color palette that stands out from the competition can help your brand become more memorable and recognizable.
Opt for colors that resonate with your target audience: Think about who you’re trying to reach and what appeals to them emotionally. Different demographics respond to colors in unique ways, so be sure to select a palette that will connect with your audience on a deeper level.
Assign primary and secondary brand colors: Establishing a hierarchy of colors can help create a cohesive and versatile palette. Primary colors should be the core of your brand’s identity, while secondary colors can add depth and flexibility to your design.
Get inspired: Stay current by exploring color trends and design resources. Look for inspiration in successful brands or creative projects to discover fresh ideas for effective color usage.
When it comes to finding the perfect color palette, there are plenty of great tools and resources available to help spark creativity. Here are a few of our top picks for discovering and refining color combinations:
Coolors: A quick and easy color palette generator
Pinterest: An all-in-one resource for design, color, and style inspiration.
Dribbble: A go-to destination for illustration, web design, and branding inspiration.
ColorZilla: A free Chrome extension that lets you pick any color from your browser and easily copy its HEX code.
Color Hunt: A library of designer-curated color palettes.
As we enter Q4, the holiday season brings both opportunities and challenges for lifestyle brands. This year, with Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday falling later than usual, brands must navigate a compressed calendar. With only one shot to get their promotions right, early preparation and a well-executed strategy will be key to maximizing revenue. Here are some tips and a detailed roadmap to ensure your brand thrives during this busy season.
Now that you're armed with essential tips, here’s a week-by-week roadmap to guide you through the holiday season.
Week 1 (Early October): Establish Your Promotion and Budget
Week 2 (Mid-October): Prepare Creative Assets and Website
Week 3 (Late October): Build Campaigns and Get Gift Guides Live
Week 4 (First Week of November): Finalize and Test Promotions
Week 5 (Mid-November): Launch Your Holiday Campaigns
Week 6 (Thanksgiving Week): Make the Final Push for Black Friday/Cyber Monday
Week 7 (Post-Shipping Cutoff): Emergency Gifting and Gift Card Campaigns
To make the most of Q4, lifestyle brands must balance early preparation with last-minute flexibility. A strong, well-executed strategy—starting early, using personalization, and leveraging urgency—can help brands stand out in a crowded market and maximize revenue. Stay tuned for more service-specific holiday tips, and if you need assistance refining your Q4 approach, the team at Good & Gold is here to help. Contact us today for expert guidance.
In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, staying ahead of the curve is essential for any eCommerce and online business. One of the latest innovations shaking up the industry is Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE).
But what is SGE, and how is it impacting click-through rates (CTR) for eCommerce websites and online businesses?
This article delves into the implications of SGE for eCommerce businesses, exploring how this new technology affects search behaviors and what businesses can do to adapt.
Search Generative Experience (SGE) is Google's groundbreaking feature that uses advanced generative AI to enhance the traditional search engine experience. Unlike the standard search algorithms that focus on ranking pages based on keywords, SGE delivers more contextually relevant, personalized, and interactive results. This AI-driven approach aims to understand the user's intent better and provide them with comprehensive answers directly on the search engine results page (SERP).
SGE can generate detailed responses to queries, often pulling from multiple sources to create a synthesized answer that appears at the top of the search results. This innovation marks a significant shift in how users interact with search engines and, consequently, how businesses need to approach search engine optimization (SEO) and marketing.
This change aligns with Google's broader mission to make information universally accessible and useful but introduces new challenges and opportunities for online businesses.
The introduction of SGE is significantly altering the landscape of CTR, which is a key metric for evaluating the effectiveness of search-based marketing strategies. Here’s how:
With SGE providing detailed answers directly within the search results, users may no longer feel the need to click through to a website to find the information they need. This shift could result in a decrease in CTR for traditional organic search results, as users might find their queries sufficiently answered without leaving the search engine results page (SERP).
Traditional SEO practices, which have long focused on optimizing content for specific keywords to rank higher in search results, will have to evolve. Businesses will need to consider how to optimize for SGE, focusing on providing content that complements the AI-generated responses or offers value beyond what SGE can provide directly.
As SGE becomes more prevalent, the importance of securing featured snippets and rich results (like images, videos, and other interactive content) grows. These elements are more likely to capture attention within an SGE-enhanced search environment, offsetting some of the CTR declines for traditional links.
While overall CTR might decline, the traffic that does click through may be of higher quality. Users who proceed beyond the SGE responses are more interested in the products, leading to better conversion rates.
SGE is transforming the way consumers search for and discover products online, which has significant implications for eCommerce businesses. Here are some of the key impacts:
One of the most immediate impacts of SGE on eCommerce businesses is the potential reduction in organic traffic.
For many eCommerce businesses, particularly smaller ones, brand visibility on Google’s SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) is crucial for attracting customers. However, as SGE offers more detailed answers within the search results themselves, the space for traditional organic listings may become more limited. This can make it more challenging for eCommerce brands to stand out, especially if they are not among the top results or if their content is not featured in AI-generated snippets.
The rise of SGE asks for a shift in SEO and content strategies for eCommerce businesses. Traditional keyword optimization is no longer be sufficient. Instead, ecommerce businesses need to focus on creating content that is optimized for AI interpretation, such as by addressing common customer queries concisely and directly. Additionally, structured data and schema markup are becoming increasingly important to ensure that product information is easily understood and featured by SGE.
On the positive side, SGE has the potential to enhance the customer experience by providing more accurate and tailored search results. For example, if a user searches for a specific product, SGE could generate a detailed product comparison or a summary of reviews, helping customers make more informed decisions. This could lead to higher quality traffic, as users who do click through to an eCommerce site may be more ready to purchase.
SGE's ability to present rich media and visual content directly within the search results is another factor that eCommerce businesses must consider. High-quality images, videos, and other rich content formats play a more significant role in attracting attention within an SGE-dominated SERP. Businesses will need to invest in creating compelling visual content that can stand out in this new environment.
To thrive in the age of SGE, eCommerce businesses must adapt their strategies to align with this new search landscape. Here are some actionable steps:
Focus on creating content that is easily digestible by AI, such as concise product descriptions, FAQs, and other content that directly answers common questions. Implementing structured data is also essential to ensure that your products are prominently featured in AI-generated responses.
Invest in high-quality images, videos, and other forms of rich media that can enhance your visibility within SGE's search results. Consider creating video content that showcases your products, as videos are more likely to be highlighted by SGE.
As SGE improves the quality of search results, ensure that your website provides an equally high-quality user experience. This includes fast loading times, mobile optimization, and a seamless checkout process, all of which are critical for converting high-quality traffic into sales.
SGE is a game-changer in the world of search, offering users more detailed and contextually relevant answers directly within the SERP. For eCommerce businesses, understanding **what is SGE** and how it impacts CTR is critical for adapting to this new search paradigm. While SGE presents challenges, such as potential declines in organic traffic and increased competition for visibility, it also offers opportunities for businesses to attract higher-quality traffic and improve conversion rates. By optimizing content for AI, investing in rich media, and refining paid search strategies, eCommerce businesses can continue to thrive in an increasingly AI-driven market.
Ever wonder what fuels our creativity and keeps us buzzing at Good & Gold? Here's a glimpse into what lights our fires. This month, we're pulling back the curtain to share the latest and greatest in our team's reading and listening favorites. From thought-provoking books to energizing tunes, discover what our employees are currently into and maybe find your next favorite read or listen!
Reading - Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin - I picked this book up to read while on vacation and could not put it down. The unique narrative style and poignant character development made me feel intimately connected to the web of emotions and experiences - Creativity, friendship, love, ambition, and self discovery.
Listening - I'm listening to Tycho, Maribou State, and Khruangbin, whose dreamy, soulful, surfy, and world-traveling vibes are setting the perfect stage for my summer mood.
Reading - The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah - earlier this year, I read my first Kristin Hannah Book, The Great Alone. It quickly became my all-time favorite read. I’m only a few chapters into The Nightingale, but it’s good so far, and I’ve heard it’s a tear-jerker!
Listening - Caamp, Noah Kahan, Lizzie McAlpine… all things folky and acoustic and easy listening for the summer.
Reading - All Fours by Miranda July - My book club, a group of 30-45 year old moms, dove head first into this thought-provoking, conversation-sparking and memorable read. The conversations about this book seem to never end!
Listening - LEON, Miguel, BEYONCE - I’m all about artists with rich musical vibes - introspective and dreamy to bold and dancy.
Reading - The Measure by Nikky Erlick - I got this book as a present and I must admit it has made me ponder about the purpose and meaning of life and how we can easily lose sight that life is short and that we need to make the most of every day and moment.
Listening - I am listening to Just one Thing with Michael Mosley. The above book made me look in the direction of generally having a better health and wellbeing approach. “If time is tight, what’s the one thing you should be doing to improve your health and wellbeing?”
Reading - The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz - I had heard people talking about this book here and there and finally picked it up and dove in this summer. Written in a unique, simple format, I was immediately intrigued. This book expands upon four broad concepts that basically allow you to gain more freedom within your life and is really just a simple method to being happy.
Listening - My most recent playlist is filled with Vieux Farka Touré, Carole King, Thee Sacred Souls, Cocteau Twins, Charley Crockett, and Qendresa. A podcast I’ve been loving lately is called Otherworld. It tells real stories by people who have experienced something paranormal or unexplainable. It’s slightly spooky without being scary, and is such an intriguing listen!
Reading - Life Ceremony: Stories by Sayaka Murata - A compelling collection that invites readers into a world where societal norms are turned on their head. Through surreal storytelling, Murata examines the essence of human connections in a rapidly changing world, addressing themes of love, death, and societal expectations with a bold, unconventional flair. I particularly enjoyed how the stories often blurred the lines between the grotesque and the beautiful, and pushed me to consider the bizarre as potentially normal. A great read for fans of speculative fiction and those intrigued by the quirks of human nature.
Listening - Challengers [MIXED] by Boys Noize, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. This album from the recently released film Challengers is full of energetic, playful house beats that are great for working out, dancing, or stumbling through a contentious polyamorous relationship.
Reading - The Hike - a book that’s very similar to Stephen King’s Fairy Tale. The story follows a man who goes for a hike one day while on a work trip and finds himself in a land where he must face his inner demons and grow in order to escape.
Listening - Lore - A great but slightly dark podcast that “explores the mysterious creatures, tragic events and unusual places that fill the pages of history.”
Reading - Samsung Rising: Geoffrey Cain - An inspiring and detailed account of Samsung’s rise to power across several industries and its fight against Apple. This book explores Samsung’s tumultuous beginning, unique corporate culture, and desire to bring South Korea onto the global stage with constant competition and innovation. Samsung’s ebbs and flows in wins, losses, and leadership make this a compelling read that gives deep insight to a lesser known part of our daily world.
Listening - Lex Fridman: An AI researcher, scientist, and podcast host known for his deep, insightful conversations with a diverse range of guests. His podcast, "The Lex Fridman Podcast," explores topics like artificial intelligence, technology, science, and the human condition, featuring thought leaders from various fields. Listening to his podcast offers a blend of intellectual stimulation and personal growth. He regularly has unique guests such as Sam Altman, Mark Cuban, Elon+Kimbal Musk, Bill Ackman, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Jimmy Wales, and Marc Andreessen.
Reading - The Illusion of Choice: 16 ½ Psychological Biases that Influence What We Buy" - This insightful book captivated me with its relevance to both my career and understanding general human behavior. It expertly distills complex decision-making biases into digestible principles and chapters. A must-read for those in marketing, advertising, or entrepreneurship, it offers practical applications for everyday decision-making, selling, and negotiation tactics. I found it to be a quick, simple, and useful read that has already started to influence my approach to work and personal decisions.
Listening - "Bass Boat" by Zach Bryan from his newest album "The Great American Bar Scene" - This song inspires a sense of nostalgia as it reminds me of the lake town I grew up in, watching bass boats glide by my parents' house on the lake. While the lyrics don’t completely align with my personal experience, the general sentiment, raw emotion, and melody evoke a sense of calmness and self-reflection. It captures the serene beauty of golden hour, and the moment the sun sets where you forget everything around you and are fully present. Life doesn’t always go the way you hope, with its twists, turns, and unforeseen events. This song is a reminder to be present, enjoy the little things and small moments, and cherish the people that bring you joy—those are the memories that will carry you through life.
Reading - I’m currently reading “Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love” by Marty Cagan. I’ve read several of his books, and he truly is an expert in building products and experiences that matter—with the customer always at the forefront. This book emphasizes the importance of avoiding biases that can lead us away from delivering the best possible product to the end user, whether it’s a tech product or any other offering. One concept that has really stuck with me is the idea of consistently and constantly delivering new value to the customer, even if it means revisiting old ideas. This principle goes beyond the tech industry and applies to e-commerce and any consumer-driven product. If you don’t live and breathe the goal of driving value at every level for your customers, you won’t achieve the growth you’re aiming for.
Listening - I’ve been rotating between music of my eclectic youth (90s grunge, Red Hot Chili Peppers, T-Pain, Usher, The Eagles, Lil Wayne—you get the idea) and discovering artists that I may have missed along the way. Some folks I have been jamming to lately have been The Teskey Brothers and the Guantanamo Bay Surf Club, both have been a great way to wind the evening down with some chill melodies and soulful voices.