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Sunday, May 30, 2010

OFFCOLOUR

I can't work out why this blog doesn't have headings when the heading appears in the layout... but anyway... prepare for a rant.

This page gives the appearance of being a page about a "new" philosophy of colours related to birthdays. The name is ugly and clumsy, Colorstrology, but it purports to be something that links people with their spiritual colour.

If you look at it closely, it is sponsored by Pantone... what it doesn't make clear until you dig, is that the whole thing seems to be a Pantone marketing ploy.

I think Pantone, and any company who does this sort of deceptive marketing on the internet, is misjudging the public rather badly. Those who believe in astrology, who might be drawn into a new aspect of it, will feel very angry with Pantone if they discover that it is simply marketing crap.

I don't know whether they believe the astrology colour stuff... but if they do then this is a cynical marketing ploy which exploits something they think is real, and if they don't, then this is cynically manipulating those susceptible to such things for financial gain. Either way, which company wants to be associated with *either* of those things?

Those who look with disdain upon astrology and all things related to astrology, are not likely to view it in a positive light at all. Those with experience of the internet, who mostly hate sites which blare loud music at you while they tell you what they're about, will hate it for that reason.

I presume they put money into it on the hope that it would provide positive exposure, but that isn't what I think they will get. They'd do better to find something honest about their product and promote that instead.