• by Sarah Mahoney , Yesterday

Behr Paint is betting big on “Hidden Gem,” a moody jade green it hopes will jolt DIYers out of their beige rut. The company’s latest Color of the Year campaign aims to turn inspiration into action — and to prove it’s more than just a pretty swatch.

Now in its ninth year, Behr’s Color of the Year program is designed to cut through what the brand calls “color paralysis.” “One of the most difficult parts of the journey is deciding on a color and then feeling confident about the choice,” says Andy Lopez, senior vice president and head of global marketing.

The goal, he says, is to offer consumers both direction and reassurance. “We’ve done the legwork,” Lopez tells Marketing Daily. “That means we’ve traveled the world to get trend insights, and checked in with other industries, including automotive, fashion and tech. We can then say, ‘This is a usable, versatile color that can work in any space.’”

This year’s campaign leans heavily on digital discovery and social media. It includes immersive vignettes showing the color in various settings — from full-room transformations to accent walls — and brings in 29 influencers to share the look with their followers. For the first time, Behr is also collaborating with Pinterest to extend the campaign’s reach. A $50,000 sweepstakes adds another layer of consumer engagement.

“We love to position ourselves as the DIY coach,” Lopez says. Sold at Home Depot, the brand’s messaging is focused on first-timers and design dabblers. “Painting is one of the easiest projects people can do on their own, and we do everything we can to help them.”

Behr says colors chosen for the annual honor typically see sales double. But more important, Lopez says, is how these campaigns unlock broader activity across the category. While major life events like buying or selling a home still drive most paint jobs, people tend to repaint every four years — and social content helps nudge them to start.

“The biggest win for us is someone feeling good about the color they picked,” he says, “and being able to tell a story about why they chose it.”