Not so innocent any more

[Annpan]

Have a browse around this website http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/

and here is the link to ethiscore is http://www.ethiscore.org/

[the.fee.fairy]

oooh i'm so disappointed in Innocent!

Won't be buying their smoothies anymore.

Where did you find out their secrets? I read through the blog comments and couldn't find anything...

[Annpan]

From the second page of their blog comments pages
http://innocentdrinks.typepad.com/innoc ... /#comments

Said it before - a few years back - and will say it here again....Innocent were never, ever more than 2 ex McKinsey Consultants (the uber-consultants of the corporate world)and an ex Coca-Cola (isn't that a coincidence..) Marketing exec's business plan of how to make a bucket-load of money by building a brand. They knew that hippie ethics were highly marketable to the latte culture we had become, they knew that they would have to build a 'story' with the requisite hippie factor (note: the story is made in advance and then acted out eg 'we'll go to a music festival - cos that'll sound good when we retell it in our corporate branding and will be congruent with the hippy thing...'). They will have studied the bejesus out of Ben & Jerrys and various other brands that have done this before them(given their backgrounds they would have had to keep up with the latest - mostly US - business trends).

Innocent have built a beleiveable story around them being relaxed and laissez faire and that all this has almost happened by accident to 3 guys who happened to like fruit juice...ahem , that'll be a 'no'.

Innocent were a marketing company - they've never made their own juices but subcontract to 'secret' contractors (who no doubt make juices for umpteen others) so they've never been really interested in making juice (apart from when they had to , to build a story....eg that music festival thing...). No, they been much more interested in selling juices than making them.

They were never that Innocent anyway given there unwillingness to support organic fruit and vegetable producers.

As an exercise in how to build a brand, they deserve a round of applause and the ex Coke Marketing exec will now be back at Coca Cola head office with enhanced standing and McKinsey and Bain Consulting will be taking the other two back to once again prowl corporate boardrooms (with their ties back on, naturally)

No matter what you think, the boys done good by their standards.

Posted by: C Meikle | April 08, 2009 at 03:23 PM

and later on the same page

Thanks to everyone who's posting comments. We're jumping in to correct inaccuracy where possible.

To correct the comment by C Meikle (3.23pm), none of the founders has ever worked for Coca Cola. Adam worked for a short while for Virgin Cola in the 1990s, which is what you might be thinking of.

Also, it was Adam who worked for McKinsey, whilst Jon worked for Bain (another consultants), whilst Richard worked for an advertising agency. So only one person worked at McKinsey.

Posted by: dan at innocent | April 08, 2009 at 03:31 PM

I noted that Dan didn't deny that Innocent was an invention of marketing rather than the wonderful hippie business it portrays itself to be.

[the.fee.fairy]

Didn't see those comments.

Now i#m even more disappointed by innocent...

[Annpan]

I know fee, I was so disgusted and saddened by all the comments I read all 3 pages of them, there are probably even more now..... I need to get out more

[Mylovelyhorse]

Well I've had a few days to think about this now. The Innocent smoothie in my fridge (1 large carton) will be the last thing that I buy from them. I've decided that the Coke deal is a completely cynical move, with only profits in mind. And what's worse, I am really miffed that I swallowed the whole 'ethical company' bit. I feel duped. So definitely no more 'Innocent' purchases for me.

A very big Boo from me.

[red]

I'm not feeling the loss, as I never liked them - found the drinks a bit gloopy and very sweet.

what is it about innocent that is (or was) ethical in the first place? I must have missed that (not being a fan and all) ?

The first time I tried smoothies I couldn't stomach them, but now I love them.

ah well .. I like smoothies.. and made them long before innnocent arrived on the scene.. particularly when we used to get a fruit box as well as a veg box, but I think they must add sugar to theirs, whereas most fruit is sweet enough imo

I'm more put out cause I feel like I was used - I have argued with people about how this business model works

I can see that, its a clever marketing ploy... and we all like the little guy for some reason.

[red]

Oh dear I buy a number of things from the unethical list including coke occasionally! I do wonder why they are boycotting T***o for selling live frogs and turtles in their Chinese stores - are they more endangered/unethical than the live lobsters and crabs that are sold in French supermarkets?

i think the list is likely to be a bit dodgy.. someone nominates them for boycotting.. really its up the individual to make their choice after that not be told to boycott by someone! - i wouldn't go, for example, for anything just because PETA said so....

btw did you see that news story that peta wanted the pet shop boys to change their name?

[Millymollymandy]

btw did you see that news story that peta wanted the pet shop boys to change their name?

Bit late now as they've been around with that name for what, 20 years?

[invisiblepiper]

Have a browse around this website http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/

and here is the link to ethiscore is http://www.ethiscore.org/

Thanks for that Annpan - i need to make myself more aware of what's going on!
Happy Easter

[jampot]

im well miffed about this selling out malarky, i had a loverly innocent smoothie today and i shall try very hard for it to be my last one i may have to get a blender so i can make my own

[dave45]

for those that are pi$$ed-off with the Coke corporation, but like their product:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/ ... k.shopping

I confess that I haven't tried it myself.

yet... I prefer beer and wine

[Millymollymandy]

Interesting article and a bit scary knowing all the ingredients (well I knew coke wasn't healthy ) but I still like coke! Hate pepsi as it is far too sweet and most other kinds of cola are downright revolting. Breizh Cola is OK though (it's a breton made one).

[Annpan]

thought people might be interested to see this... I recieved it after I left a comment on their blog

Hello there,

Hope you don't mind me writing to you, it's Joe at innocent here. We've always encouraged and invited our drinkers to share their opinions with us, so just wanted to thank you for posting your thoughts on our new investor up on our blog.

We're truly sorry if you've decided to stop buying our drinks, and we'd like to thank you for your custom in the past. I doubt anything I say will change your mind, all I can do is reiterate that the minority stakehold only means that we'll be able to do more of the stuff you've liked us for in the past. Profits made will stay in the business with 10% still going to charity.

I joined this company because it represented an ethical, human approach to business that I massively admired, and I honestly don't see that approach changing - after all, a company is no more than the product of the people who work for and lead it and we're all still here.

We needed an injection of cash to survive and grow at a time when many businesses - small and large - are struggling, and we got this from Coca Cola. However, this does not in any way change who we are, or what we're about. If you've trusted us in the past, and always liked what we've done, please keep your faith for the future, as we don't plan on changing.

Just thought you might like to hear the thoughts of someone in the business.

Thanks again for sharing yours.

Hope you had a good Easter,

Joe

P.s. If you happen to be in the area, feel free to pop into Fruit Towers and see for yourself that everything is as it was

Reeks to me of the same rubbish I have bought into for too long, I don't like this tactic one little bit. Oh why couldn't they have just have been the morally superior brand that I thought they were

[Mylovelyhorse]

Yes, I got one of those too. And it didn't make me feel any more kindly towards 'Innocent' than I did before. If anything, it has confirmed my opinion that this is one of the most cynically manipulative companies out there.

Boo.