Why Blue Paisley?

Why Blue Paisley?

A tremendous amount of research was used in the development of the thyroid awareness brand and the blue paisley ribbon icon.

There was a significant need and strong desire by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) to create a thyroid awareness brand that could be used year after year to build brand equity and increase awareness. We began by trying to incorporate a thyroid into the design, but none of these early images resonated with focus groups, as participants were unable to recognize the thyroid and thought it was unattractive to wear as a necklace or any other accessory.

Next, we began looking at other successful awareness campaigns to identify commonalities, and we found that none of the most successful campaigns used the actual body part being represented. For instance, the pink ribbon that is so well established as the symbol for breast cancer does not actually have breasts anywhere in the logo. Similarly, the American Heart Association’s Red Dress Campaign does not include a heart anywhere in its logo.

This led us to conclude that including a thyroid was less crucial than establishing a logo that was attractive and resonated with our audience.

Using a ribbon in the brand and icon was a strong choice, due to the fact that ribbons are already well-known to symbolize awareness and advocacy. So the question became which color would best represent thyroid awareness? As we considered various colors – purple, teal, yellow, green, etc. – we quickly found that all spectrums of the color wheel were already identified with at least one cause, and many were associated with several. It was unlikely thyroid awareness would make a strong impact competing for an already-established color.

Upon further research, however, we found that one cause had successfully established their place in the world of advocacy not with a color, but with a pattern. Autism awareness has effectively used a ribbon composed of puzzle pieces to establish their brand and unite their advocacy efforts.

This led us to consider patterns that might serve well as the face of thyroid awareness. Various ideas were considered – camouflage, stripes, plaid, etc. – but discarded for some reason or another. Then we considered paisley. This was an attractive option because, more so than the other patterns, it had a relationship to the thyroid. For instance, the curved shapes within the thyroid mimic a thyroid follicle. Additionally, paisley is often used in neck ties and scarves, which are tied around the neck, where the thyroid is located. Other factors that made paisley stand out was that it is a unisex pattern and is not yet being used for any advocacy efforts. Further, when we tested the paisley concept with numerous focus groups, without exception the response was positive and enthusiastic. Women and men, young and old, all said they would proudly wear paisley to promote thyroid awareness.

The next step was to identify a color for the paisley. Again, we turned to research with a variety of audiences and focus groups. We presented several color choices, including blue, green, purple, red, and others. Once again, the feedback was very consistent with blue being the dominant preferred color.

The blue paisley ribbon is being debuted in January, 2012, as part of the 18th annual Thyroid Awareness Month. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists is spearheading a national media campaign, as well as grassroots efforts, to spread the power of the paisley. Numerous thyroid and patient organizations are also supporting the blue paisley campaign, including the Graves Disease and Thyroid Foundation, the REACT Thyroid Foundation, ThyCa, and the Light of Life Foundation.