Neoco

Not so long ago, I was still a grubby student studying Advertising and Marketing Comms at Bournemouth University. Innocent was a brand we’d all use to demonstrate our conceptual understanding time and time again. The only explanation for this I can think of is that, as a bunch of lively late-teens, we had a close affinity and understanding of the brand already (well, we wouldn’t have picked anything hard now, would we?!). This is more pertinent given that I’ve been to the Innocent Summer Fete two years on the trot, and am planning to go back this year.

It all begs the question: what is it about the Innocent brand that builds such subconscious salience amongst my demographic? I’d put money on it being the very ‘Innocence’ of the brand – the fact that it brings out the kid in everyone by building such an idealistic experience around what is essentially still, just a drink. But unusually, I don’t mind feeling duped by the powers of Innocent’s marketing comms – having spent so many years studying it, I appreciate that I’m harder than most to be sold a product, let alone a brand’s ideology. So when I buy into something enough to let my guard down, I’m really quite impressed.

The thing about Innocent is that there’s a fair trade – you hand over your otherwise cynical, sarcastic and close-minded attitude to sales messages, and in return they offer a unique and truly engaging brand experience that is as real at their Summer Fete as the images they paint in your mind. I’d put it down to their marketing strategy being as synergetic as any depicted in a textbook, which I think owes as much to the unified vision of the founders as good marketing practice. The wonderful thing about Innocent has been the consistency of it’s touchpoints with consumers – from the summery nature of the product, to it’s links with live music, to the bunting, knitting and welly wanging – it’s a return to the quintessential English traditions that time has otherwise forgotten about.

So it was with horror that I found out that Innocent has now sold a minority stake worth £30m to Coca-Cola. If anything could be further from Innocent’s links to all things traditionally quaint and British, it’s one of the biggest corporate bloodsuckers on the planet. And this is on top of Innocent’s flirtation with McDonald’s a while back, trialling Innocent smoothies with kids’ Happy Meals.

Honestly, I feel pretty confused. I feel cheated by an otherwise loyal and trustworthy friend. It just goes to show what can happen when you build such a close relationship with your consumers – they expect you to stay true to the brand vision they bought into, even if macro-economic factors make it hard to achieve.

Everyone’s feeling the pinch of recession, but Innocent’s decision to ally with an American multinational could prove far more damaging in the long term than the short term cash flow problems it will address. I really hope not – but in the meantime, I’ll be sticking to my fizzy water.

Coxy.

Tags  advertising Coca-Cola Innocent marketing McDonalds News