Whether planning a painting project themselves or planning to hire a professional, home improvement shoppers are inspired by social media when it comes to color choice, according to recent research commissioned by paint brand Behr. However, 40% of respondents said deciding on a color was the most difficult step, enough so that 40% don't start a project because of their inability to choose.
Behr is leaning into these consumer insights to understand the pain points that people face when trying to complete projects. Through marketing, as well as product and digital innovation, the brand is attempting to address those challenges to help customers make their vision a reality.
“There’s definitely a need for helping consumers get from before to after faster,” said Andy Lopez, who was recently elevated to Behr’s chief marketing officer, referring to the indecision home improvement shoppers face, or what he calls “paint paralysis.”
Making consumers feel more confident
On the marketing front, Behr tries to tap into its legacy of helping people with their DIY or professional projects while looking for ways to provide value through a variety of digital-driven efforts. Over the past year, the company has accelerated its digital transformation strategy, which aims to make the digital paint journey and color selection process more inquisitive and connected for consumers.
This spring, Behr launched a campaign urging people to call a newly introduced hotline to get their paint and DIY project questions answered by popular real estate and DIY influencers.
Five influencers, some of whom have millions of followers, appeared in a video, each holding a phone in front of colorful backgrounds and to a soundtrack of upbeat music. “Let’s be honest… You have painting questions,” the video stated, before urging viewers to call the number. The video received over 13,000 likes and, according to the company, more than 3,400 called into the hotline.
The hotline tapped into a nostalgia trend on Instagram and TikTok, where people were looking back at simpler times — then added value by helping people out with their projects, said Lopez.
Another way the company is attempting to solve the paint paralysis challenge consumers face is through a partnership with Google Cloud. Last year, the two companies developed an artificial intelligence-powered agent that helped guide consumers to find the perfect hue for their projects with personalized recommendations.
The agent, ChatHue, which launched in July 2025, was created using Behr’s proprietary color data and Google Cloud’s AI platforms and technologies such as Gemini, Vertex AI, BigQuery and Cloud Run.
ChatHue isn’t going to address all the color issues that consumers face during projects, said Lopez. Rather, it targets one specific pain point by narrowing down the color decision and making consumers feel confident about their choices.
In March, the brand and Google Cloud added color visualization capabilities to ChatHue responding to consumers who wanted to visualize how colors would look in real-world spaces, not just text-based color guidance. That change helped boost customer satisfaction by 15%, said Lopez.
Shared understanding of the consumer
Consumer expectations of brands are growing, meaning marketing leaders are becoming increasingly responsible for ensuring that every decision begins with a “deep understanding of consumer needs and behaviors,” said Lopez.
To achieve this, CMOs need to leverage data and insights to get a glimpse of how different behaviors of their target consumers are evolving. This helps marketers capture the new ways consumers are discovering products, he said.
Behr’s target audience spans different segments, but at its core, it’s people doing DIY projects or completing home projects. Additionally, more millennial and Gen Z consumers are entering the home marketplace. The company has also seen recent growth among Hispanic audiences who have taken on more home improvement projects, per Lopez.
Through its longstanding exclusive partnership with The Home Depot, Behr has at the same time grown its professional audience, including commercial and residential contractors.
From a marketing standpoint, disciplines across Behr all need to be focused on solving the challenges the brand's target consumers face when taking on projects and adding that important value, Lopez stated. That means there needs to be close partnerships across marketing, product strategy, research and development, finance, sales and Behr’s partners at The Home Depot.
That type of collaboration was on display when Behr recently relaunched its website from a more standard e-commerce site to one aimed at being a color destination that’s easier to navigate and understand so consumers feel confident, said Lopez. At the same time, the brand shifted its e-commerce customers to The Home Depot’s website and store.
When all functions are aligned around a shared understanding of the consumer, it’s a win for the company.
“[That’s how] we make better decisions, bring stronger innovations to market and create more seamless experiences from product development through purchase,” said Lopez.
