Backed by research, trends and consumer surveys, Behr Paint’s annual Color of the Year campaign serves as an antidote for DIYers stuck in a state of “color paralysis.”

The yearly launch of a single, on-trend color is designed inspire consumers to take on fall home renovation projects with style. According to Andy Lopez, Global Head of Marketing at Behr, it helps DIYers motivate to kickoff projects by providing what may be lacking: the confidence to pick a color.

“We realized through consumer insights that if we're able to have a color that is trending, is new, and we can position that specific color to be used on projects big or small, it gives them that validation and that color confidence. We've seen that through a lot of our data,” said Lopez. “Every time we're launching a Color of the Year, people really hone in on that color and love using it.” Indeed, Behr sees color sales increase 300% in the first 90 days after it launches.

We spoke with Lopez about this year’s program, its myriad marketing benefits, new elements to reach younger consumers, the importance of consumer insights and research to its campaign development, and more.

Marketing budgets are tightening as people brace for economic uncertainty, and CMOs and marketing teams are being asked to do more with less. However, writes our columnist, an increased budget or a larger team will not automatically solve your problems. The key is to weave in a brand amplification strategy featuring these core elements.

Many fear that AI’s efficiencies will lead to fewer jobs for humans. But in fact, it can help researchers increase the volume of research they can do, by an order of magnitude, bringing more human inputs to business decision making. AI will unlock new and different ways of gathering insights, and it could happen in four significant ways.

Lastly, B2B marketers generally trail their B2C counterparts when it comes to personalization, using contextual targeting and intent data, and other effective methods. But persuasion techniques that work with consumers can be applied just as effectively to business purchases. Here are some tools from the B2C toolbox for B2B marketers to deploy.

Until next week,