27 mins, 2006        [password required] Key Topics Marketing Enterprise Ethics Environment Food This is the story of Innocent Drinks - the fruit smoothie company which has used its healthy image to carve out a unique position for itself in the drinks market. HOW IT ALL STARTED: The company was set up by three young men in 1998. The early days were difficult - raising the start-up money was a particular problem - but in a matter of years business was booming. Their main market is people like themselves - the cash-rich, time-poor. At the heart of their marketing approach is the language they use to sell their drinks - engaging with customers in a lively, jokey, informal way. ADVERTISING: Innocent's first TV advert they made themselves with their own video camera. The second they made out of "recycled" existing clips and footage. The accent is on a simple, homely, honest approach: "the Innocent way". Grass-covered vans, grass even on the office floor, and fun events like "Fruitstock" are all part of the Innocent way. But the company also takes an ethical approach which includes giving 10 per cent of its profits to charities. GREEN COMPANY: The firm has its own "sustainability squad" whose job is to monitor and reduce the company's carbon dioxide emissions. Their cars and vans are hybrids or run on bio-fuel, they use green electricity in the office and they're introducing 100% compostable packaging. But how much difference does one off-beat company like Innocent make in the scheme of things? DVD extras provide a wealth of further material for research including Innocent's TV ads and "An Alternative View" - a dietician argues that Innocent stands guilty of misleading marketing.