Using the world’s ugliest colour on cigarette packaging could go a long way in helping more smokers to kick the week for once and for all, according to Australian experts.
When market research company GfK Bluemoon asked 1,000 smokers to choose the hue that most repulsed them, the majority voted for the green/brown shade known as Pantone 448C, or opaque couché.
Asked to associate the colour with a word, most chose negative options such as “dirty”, “filth”, “death”, and “lung tar”.
Now the colour has been incorporated into cigarette packet warnings in Australia as a background for graphic images showing the many diseases associated with smoking, with the United Kingdom following suit in May. According to reports, officials in Ireland and France are considering using the colour to deter smokers too.
However, the colour experts at Pantone are less than pleased with the findings and say that there is “no such thing” as an ugly shade.
Executive Director Leatrice Eiseman says: “At the Pantone Color Institute, we consider all colours equally,”
We must admit, it’s a good shade for dangerous addiction, although it has slightly put us off our winter parka jacket too.
What do you think, would the world’s ugliest colour encourage you to stop smoking? Let us know on Twitter @HerFamilydotie.
