So, as the recession bites, the Innocent Smoothie brand has had a year on year sales decline and some marketing “gurus” are already writing their obituaries (Marketing magazine 28th Jan) – just amazing.
Innocent has been a true “game changer” in the FMCG industry. Few other brands have been as innovative or have strived as hard to build the trust of their customers. Sure they have made a few mistakes, This Water wasn’t one of their high points, but doesn’t that just show us they are human?
I guess when money is short, we are all having to make compromises and watching the amount of Innocent we buy is one of them. But is the Innocent brand really at risk? Should the values upon which Innocent is built be watered down? Should organic pig farmers feed cheaper non organic food to their animals to keep prices low!? You have to be joking!
The Sunday Times this morning reports that only 29% of us agree with the statement “most people can be trusted” (compared with 56% in 1959). Trust is everything … and this is where Innocent scores. Innocent may need to batten down the hatches for the storm ahead and they certainly need to stick to their knitting. But, as long as they hold onto their core beliefs they will come out stronger and I for one will keep telling their story and recommending them to my friends.
I found this presentation on Slideshare. It gives a lovely summary of what they have been doing to underpin their values and build trust in their brand.
Could not agree more Richard – Innocent are not going anywhere. Being so “true to brand”, they, and brands like them are going to stand out even more.
I for one, want brands that mean something, products that work, and won’t say no to some nice design too
Thanks for the presentation link – I’ve blogged about it over on the http://www.theappleofmyi.com/blog