#30

    

   

An important part of my research since taking the 'Imbalance' project down a packaging and branding route, has been looking into how other food and drink brands promote and package their products. Some of this research has been subconscious whilst consuming various brands and browsing supermarkets, whereas other research has been more active and online - using sites such as pinterest which pick up on less prolific brands as well as the widely available one. Innocent is one of the best known fresh drink companies in the country, famous for its fun and cheeky packaging and known for its ethics and impeccable brand ethos. 

Upon visually researching their current branding, I looked into several aspects - including their charity work, their website and their standard packaging. I think one of the keys to Innocent's success is the fact that their product is applicable to people of all ages and backgrounds - with the fun and games on the packaging honestly being just as appealing to professionals as to small school children - similarly the product is likely to be seen as part of the lunch of both these target market groups. Meanwhile, the numerous charity efforts that Innocent partake in - such as the knitted hats or the 'Tastes Good Does Good' campaign - show them to be a kind-hearted and selfless company, whereas some of their competitors may only be in the industry for the money! The simplicity of the packaging is something I can really learn from, using the logo as the main image and adjusting only the colour-ways means that the product is instantly recognisable and through simple association one can take a guess at the taste and flavourings too. The inside of the packaging often includes facts or activities and the website's interactive platforms take these to the next level. 

The 'Big Knit' a yearly campaign run by Innocent sees members of the public knit an array of tiny novelty hats and these are then sold on top of bottles during the winter, with the small amount of additional profit on each bottle going towards making older people warmer during the colder months. It is schemes like these which Innocent have established that encourage non-regular customers to pick up a bottle and feel good about themselves!! Again this is made interactive by a very lively online platform at which photos of the best hats are uploaded alongside thank yous and videos from the older people who have benefited from the scheme, patterns to knit more hats and games for the children. This brand shows the absolute optimum usage of every element of branding and packaging, but inparticular it exemplifies some of the best ways to make use of an online platform.