December 2004
Blue is the colour deemed to be the smartest, according to results of a recent series of polls commissioned by Thomson Directories, to determine ‘the Nation's Interpretation of Smart'

Nearly a quarter of UK adults surveyed* (23%) declared blue to be the colour that first comes to mind when thinking about the word ‘smart'. This compared to 1 in five votes for red. At the bottom of the scale was orange which scooped only 6% of the vote, whilst yellow trailed in with a poor 9% of respondents associating the colour with being smart.

*Survey sample size of 1000; survey conducted by BMRB International

Thomson Smart Cat Woman – as featured on TV


Whilst blue was declared the smartest colour by respondents, the results showed a clear divide between the sexes with women tending to vote for softer more subtle shades than men. Violet, for example, was voted for by 16% of women and just 6% of men.

So what is it about the colour blue? According to mystics, a person with a blue aura is said to be a ‘natural teacher'** while blue is also claimed to represent intellect and clear communication***. And in Chinese tradition, blue is the colour of high office.

All this is good news for Thomson Directories who publishes Thomson Local directories and the online directory www.thomsonlocal.com. Comments Rob Love, Marketing Research Manager at Thomson Directories and the person responsible for commissioning the independent poll: “Thomson's association with blue is long-held and we are known for our blue cat which we have recently updated to a blue cat-woman for our latest ‘Lean Fast Smart' TV campaign. Thomson offers an intelligent, clear and smart directory service that enables our users to act smart too.”

For further information please contact our press office.

** Robert Bruce, www.astralpulse.com
*** According to Colour Affects, London (www.colour-affects.co.uk)