Innocent Smoothies

Oct '097th

A lot of the clients I work with who have just set up a web presence for their company think it’s a good idea to start a mailing list and a blog. Everyone else is doing it, so why shouldn’t they? The problem is, so few companies get it right and very few people will bother to read them.
If you’re like me, there are very few corporate mailing lists you willingly subscribe to. They’re just so boring and salesy.
The Innocent Smoothie website is one of the few companies that I think get their corporate blog spot on. Even though I rarely buy their drinks (too expensive for me), I still enjoy reading it.

They’re real people

The blog talks about real people who work in the company, like Alison, Ben, Ryan, James and Denym from Finance. You can tell that the people who work there have a really fun time. By putting up photos and quotes from each of the team, it gives the company a human touch and makes it seem more friendly and approachable. They even put up photos of company events, like their sports day.

And the shortest shorts competition was fearsome. And frightening. Fearsomely frightening.

Fun copy

Their copy is colloquial, light-hearted and self-deprecating at times. Here’s an excerpt from their knitted hat of the week” award.

Without further ado. The winner is……weirdly long pause…fumble with envelope…Big Bee Hive by Kerri from Essex.

They don’t just talk about carrots

The blog has stories on the sorts of things that people working in an office might talk about. Like what do you call the crust at the end of a loaf of bread? At the end of the article, they add “Tell us what you call the thick-bit-of-bread-at-the-end-of-the-loaf and the best name will win a breadbin full of smoothies and some toast (lightly buttered).” This encourages people to add comments, which is always good on a company blog.
At the end of their mailing list, they have some fun, unrelated links that people have sent in, like Youtube videos.

They are generous

As well as offering money-off vouchers to people who subscribe to their mailing list, Innocent also reward customers who write to them with suggestions.

Back in April when we launched our first ever banana free recipe – kiwis, apples and limes – we got in touch with everyone who’d ever written, emailed or called to ask us to make a smoothie without bananas and sent them a free voucher to have a bottle on us.

Useful information

Dr Shilpee is a regular writer on the Innocent blog, and she answers questions people send in about health matters and adds recipes. A bit like an agony aunt in a magazine. She adds credibility to the blog, as well as giving useful titbits of information.

Lots of photos

The photos the staff upload to the blog are rarely cheesy stock ones. They take pictures of their staff, customers and even sketches of new concepts and artwork.

However, it’s worth bearing in mind this sort of fun approach doesn’t appeal to everyone.

I have never read such awful label copy in my life. What are you on at Innocent. Do you really think this is funny and appeals to ‘normal people’. You have gone one step too far!!

Are there any blogs or mailing lists you subscribe to that you think get it right?