Since coming to TCU, you may have noticed a lot of Instagram pictures featuring a certain yellow wall. Fort Worth’s own Melt Ice Cream shop has managed to turn the color into an effective marketing strategy.

The shop, located on Magnolia Avenue, attracts visitors and locals alike with its bright yellow brick wall, which serves as the perfect backdrop for pictures.

Because of a large amount of Instagram pictures posted in front of the shop by customers, Melt has gained a steady source of free advertising.

Junior nursing major Maggie Hirtz, a first-time customer, said she would never have heard of the shop if she hadn’t seen it in all her friends’ photos.

“I’ve always seen the yellow wall in the Instagram photos and so I wanted to give it a try,” Hirtz said.

The yellow brick serves as a great backdrop, but there may be even more to its appeal than just that.

Sarah Angle, a lecturer in the strategic communication department, said the meaning behind the color itself could be attracting customers.

“Yellow is a happy color. So if you looked at the psychology of colors and color schemes, yellow is very happy,” Angle said. “And also, when you put anything else against yellow it’s really going to pop.”

Angle said the wall and its social media presence are a smart way to market the business due to its wide audience reach and low cost.

“They utilize social media really well,” she said. “Their photography is beautiful, their Instagram posts are really cool because Carrie, one of the co-owners of Melt, used to be a photographer. So I think she really understands how to use color and space in Instagram posts and Facebook to really create a brand presence that symbolizes Melt and everything they do.”