Hair and Makeup Ads
Color is also important to these ads because colors are the basis for good-looking hair and makeup. More than almost any other type of creative, the colors have to be right on.
In this ad, the goal is to draw in customers who want to freshen up their looks for spring. The photo has a lovely woman wearing makeup in cool tones of teal and pink. The designer picked up on this and used the same colors in the headline and again in the offer of a free makeover. The other important info--the location and phone number--is featured in a bright pink background. {C}{C}
Color is important again in this ad for a salon. The logo is in purple, yellow and black (an interesting combo!). The designer created a soothing background with the yellow and purple fading into a tint of the latter. The use of the incense and flower evokes a soothing scent and the stones suggest various therapeutic treatments. The result is the feeling of a spa versus a straightforward beauty salon, delivering the message that customers will be pampered. 
The dominant part of this ad is the woman's thick, curly, voluminous hair. The eye follows it down to her face and then up to the text in yellow to perceive prices in yellow and services in white--again reinforcing the importance of color. This hair salon uses red in its logo. Therefore, the red headline tying into Valentine's Day makes sense (pet peeve: it's Valentine's not Valentines!). This ad targets the person who wants to stand out in a crowd. The salon features hair design, not just hair cuts. That's why the image is unique with standout hair, makeup and jewelry (oh, and she's topless too). There doesn't need to be a lot of copy. You either buy into the concept or not. 
In contrast to all of the above, there are hair and makeup ads for the price-conscious. Below a couple of images of attractive people are shown because no one wants a bad style. But once you get past that, the target customer for this company doesn't want to pay a lot. The salon is willing to provide price reductions to drive new clients to give it at try. Color is also less important here. But you can bet any new business won't come from clients of Quattro, the salon featured above, no matter what the price! As you can see, businesses focused on improving the look of their customers have to understand the target market and focus on the dreams and aspirations of the customers they serve. The right photos are crucial (even if they are not images of people) and color can be used to reinforce important messages. And the more expensive the service, the less cluttered the advertising should be.
