Coloring the destination: The role of color psychology on Instagram

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Title

Tourism Management

Publisher

Elsevier

School

School of Business and Law

RAS ID

31414

Comments

Yu, C. E., Xie, S. Y., & Wen, J. (2020). Coloring the destination: The role of color psychology on Instagram. Tourism Management, 80, Article 104110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2020.104110

Abstract

Color psychology plays important roles in product packaging, the retail environment, and online marketing. This study analyzed current practices related to color composition in tourism-related photographs on Instagram. Data mining and pictorial content analysis were adopted to investigate how lightness, chroma, and hue may influence Instagram posts' popularity. Generally, individuals appeared more likely to respond to brighter and more saturated destination pictures. Orange, yellow, blue, and violet contributed significantly to post popularity based on different photographic typologies. Overall, color is a complex construct that functions within diverse dimensions and can enrich tourists’ destination-related perceptions. Based on brand post popularity and color theories, the study findings provide valuable implications for effective and efficient destination promotion via Instagram. Relevant limitations and future directions are also discussed.

DOI

10.1016/j.tourman.2020.104110

Access Rights

subscription content

Link to Full Text

Share

 
COinS