One day I came home from a long day of work and found a purple Chinese food menu flier attached to the front gate of my apartment building. I saw “Free Chow Mein with order of $10 or more.” Oddly, that wasn’t the main selling point that got me to dial their number for a delivery. Usually I just toss fliers into the recycling bin, but this one was purple. Yes, I’m gay, and I like purple. Get used to it.

Of course my imagination ran wild and I pictured some very sophisticated marketing people telling the restaurant owners, “The Gays like purple. You’re in a gay neighborhood. Make your fliers purple.”

I dismissed the silly notion and went on with my life. But now, years later from that menu encounter, I find myself in school learning to design materials that will get people into stores and buy things. I’m wondering if I actually got roped into becoming a loyal customer through savvy marketing. Could they really have banked on the idea that a purple flier is more attractive to gay residents than some other color choice?

I’m going to say yes, and I’m basing that only on personal experience. I haven’t seen any other purple fliers hanging from my gate, just ghastly pastel ones that look unprofessional, lifeless and dull. I don’t bother with them.

But maybe it’s not the color choice: maybe I find the content layout sloppy, or the coupon offerings unexciting. Or maybe I’m just going through an extremely cheap phase and don’t want to read anything that is trying to get me to part with my money.

So many questions, so much uncertainty. I say let the readers decide.

[Photo by: roboppy.]