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| Mind Your Language: Learning from Innocent Drinks. |
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Feb 2007
It's become a modern marketing phenomenon. Innocent Drinks is less than ten years old but as firmly established as strawberries at Wimbledon. In fact, you half expect the punnets to stand aside so Innocent can serve up smoothies instead.
But does it come at a price? Of course it does, but it is the price of success. The very thing that brought Innocent to notice – the engaging quality of a brand built from fresh, natural words – has led to that sincerest form of flattery. Imitation has been bursting out all over.
For the last few years formal and informal briefs have been emerging from marketing departments: "Can you write it like Innocent?" This might be the laziest form of briefing yet invented, but it has been ubiquitous. Yet if you think about it, the meaning is simple: "we'd like the tone of voice of our brand to be more personal, informal and even a little cheeky".
This in itself is understandable, because who would want the opposite? Few brands today aspire to be impersonal, formal and even a little stuffy. The marketing community has discovered – belatedly I would say – that brands need interesting language if they are to build affection and loyalty among their audiences. But each brand needs to find its own distinctive way with words, reflecting its own personality.
I first wrote about Innocent's language in The Invisible Grail five years ago, and I've now written the full story of the brand in a new book. It's an inspiring story but it doesn't represent a blueprint to be copied. "Write it like Innocent" really won't work for any brand that has different values, objectives and personality – for any other brand in fact.
Innocent is, though, a wonderful inspiration if its approach to language is seen as a source of stimulation not imitation. As a marketing case study, Innocent supplies all the right lessons. These lessons can be applied to most kinds of business and not just to other food and drink brands. Because all brands want to be like Innocent in this regard – they want to be a modern business success story.
I suggest five principles that Innocent demonstrates and that other businesses should consider. These principles are reflected in Innocent's language, because a playful love of words and stories is the thread that runs through everything that Innocent does.
1. Keep everything natural. In Innocent's case this means the product above all ("fruit and nothing but nothing but fruit") and the absolute simplicity of the words used to convey its message. It's all summed up in the brand name itself – innocent.
2. Be totally focused on the brand. Innocent's founders have always been obsessive about remaining true to the brand and its values. The brand guides everyday behaviour, it is the organising system for the business.
3. Your business is an extended family. You need to communicate with all your audiences – internal and external – in the same tone of voice. Otherwise there will be uncomfortable gaps, and trust will seep away.
4. Use your brain and your imagination. Innocent does, and will, to stay ahead of less creative imitations.
5. Have principles and stick to them. Business needs principles, and it needs honesty. People will judge your honesty largely by the transparency of your language.
They seem simple but there is nothing easy in these principles. They demand constant vigilance. Innocent has maintained that vigilance so it remains a source of inspiration. But beware, simplicity can be deceptive, you'll need to work hard to achieve it.
John Simmons, The Writer's director of brand language, has got a new book out all about Innocent Drinks. We've added it to The Writer's bookshelf. |
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