Style Guide Series #2: Writing Like Innocent

Innocent has mastered the art of sounding like a real person: warm, witty, and just the right amount of weird. Jacob Denno, their Creative Director, describes their tone of voice as "writing like you'd talk to your mum or the man in the local shop." I'm sure you've experienced this quirky personality for yourself. My favourite is the "stop looking at my bottom" on the bottom of their bottles.

In this instalment of my Style Guide Series, I'm looking at what makes Innocent's brand voice so distinct and why it works. It's more than just clever jokes or cheeky one-liners. Their tone is consistent, emotionally intelligent, and full of personality. It makes people feel something. That's the goal of excellent copy.

The Big Knit Campaign

This GIF, a smoothie bottle in a Santa hat, is a nod to Innocent’s Big Knit campaign with Age UK, where bottles wear tiny woolly hats to raise money for older people. The campaign is not just a fun visual; it shows how Innocent’s warm, down-to-earth tone inspires real connection. Their brand voice is so recognisable that people recreate it for them.

So, how do they do it? What can we learn from a brand that makes smoothie labels fun to read?

Key Traits of Innocent's Voice

Their noticeable voice is not an accident; their work creating this unique voice has made them one of the most recognisable brands in the UK. Over the years, they've developed a voice that feels like a friend, never a salesperson. According to The Way With Words blog, their tone is built on four key pillars: informal, funny, honest, and clear. Here's how that plays out in practice, and what we can learn from it.

Conversational, Not Corporate

Innocent never sounds like a brand trying to impress you. Their copy is intentionally relaxed and engaging. You'll find phrases like "pop it in," "a bit of fruit," or "we're out of clever things to say here." This laid-back, informal tone builds trust and humanizes the brand.

As The Developing Life puts it, their strength lies in clear communication. Their messaging cuts through noise without sounding robotic or rehearsed.

From their tone, we can learn that contractions, friendly phrasing, and a natural rhythm help build a relationship between the brand and its target audience. In simple terms, write like you'd talk to a friend over tea.

Playful, But With Purpose

Innocent's voice is self-aware and witty but not over-the-top. Their humour adds charm, not confusion. Whether it's "stop looking at my bottom" on the base of a bottle or playful job descriptions, the tone remains light without becoming silly.

CharityComms highlights this as a key reason their voice works: it adds a bit of delight without distracting from the message.

The lesson here is to use humour that supports the message, not overshadows it.

Honest and Emotionally Intelligent

One of Innocent's most underrated strengths is emotional awareness. During serious moments, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, Innocent adapts its voice. They maintain warmth while reducing playfulness to fit the context.

As noted in an interview with Jacob Denno from Sonder & Tell, they "don't write for the brand—they write as the brand." This approach emphasizes being real, relevant, and kind.

The lesson here is not to ignore context. Always read your audience and understand their circumstances. From there, adjust without losing your brand's voice.

Hidden Gems in Unexpected Places

Innocent brilliantly uses space to delight, from the bottom of the bottle to the terms and conditions. This attention to detail makes their brand feel alive.

The Way With Words calls this their "surprise and delight" approach. Their copy rewards readers for sticking around and even makes the fine print worth reading.

A takeaway is to use your brand voice in everything, not just your headlines. Show your brand's personality throughout, whether in margins, microcopy, or surprising places people don't expect it.

How to Channel Innocent's Voice in Your Writing

Now that we've explored what makes Innocent's voice distinctive, how can you channel its elements in your writing?

You don't need to be selling smoothies to sound more human. Whether you're building a brand from scratch or writing social media posts for a startup, here are some practical ways to bring a little Innocent-style magic into your copy:

Write Like You Talk (But Your Friendlier Self)

Use natural language. Don't waffle. Pretend you're explaining something to a curious and intelligent friend, scrolling with one hand while holding tea in the other.

For instance, instead of saying, "We offer dynamic hydration solutions tailored to your well-being needs," try, "We make drinks that taste good and do you good. It's as simple as that." This allows you to connect with your audience. They see you as one of them instead of some unreachable entity.

Be Funny, But Don't Force It

Innocent's humour is subtle and warm, never at the expense of clarity. It's okay to be silly, but make sure the message still lands—a wink, not a punchline.

Soft jokes add charm. Think of honest admissions like, "We tried being cool. It didn't last." Playful phrasing in otherwise dull contexts catches your audience's attention. This builds a unique relationship between your brand and your customers.

Add Personality to the Small Stuff

Innocent treats every word as a branding opportunity, even in loading screens, footnotes, and terms and conditions. The result is a voice that feels alive and consistent.

Try adding a surprise message to your contact form, using friendly microcopy like "Nearly there..." instead of "submit." Make error messages sound human: "Oops! Even we get it wrong sometimes." This kind of copy humanizes your brand and creates trust.

Match Tone with Context

As mentioned in Sonder & Tell, Innocent adapts their tone when needed without dropping their human touch. You can still sound like yourself even when the mood shifts.

For example, during profound moments, tone down the jokes but keep the warmth. If you're addressing a problem, use empathy and clarity over charm.

Know Your Brand First

Before borrowing any voice, ask: Is this right for your brand? Innocent's tone works because it aligns with its identity, which is fun, friendly, and natural.

If your brand focuses on precision, authority, or minimalism, full-on cheekiness may clash. Instead, adopt a light touch of warmth. Introduce moments of personality in otherwise clean copy. Borrow tone principles like clarity and conversational rhythm without changing your entire style.

When Trying to Be Innocent...Isn't So Innocent

Innocent's tone works because it's authentic. It reflects their brand identity: cheerful, down-to-earth, and health-focused. However, when other brands try to adopt the same tone without having the same values or context, things can become uncomfortable and feel unnatural.

An example of this is NatWest's attempt to add quirky humour to overdraft messages: "You're about to enter your overdraft. That's a bit awkward, isn't it?" They aimed to sound casual and use human language, but it struck the wrong tone with real users, especially those in vulnerable financial situations. This can be perceived as patronising or insensitive.

CharityComms notes that tone of voice must be "an extension of your brand personality, not a mask you wear." When the tone does not match the moment or the emotional context of the user, it feels performative and tone-deaf.

Why It Missed the Mark

• Mismatch in Context: Light-hearted talks about debt don't land well when people are stressed or financially anxious.

• Copied Quirks Without Real Values: The humour felt like it was trying to mimic brands like Innocent but lacked warmth or sincerity.

• Misread Audience: A tone that works for smoothies doesn't always translate to financial statements.

  
  

What Brands Should Learn

• Know Your Space: Not every industry suits playfulness. Banks, healthcare, and legal services may benefit more from empathy and clarity than wit.

• Earn Your Tone: Innocent has built years of brand trust before writing "stop looking at my bottom" on a bottle. A new brand hasn't earned that level of familiarity yet.

• Start with Values, Not Quirks: If you're fun, be fun. If you're helpful, sound helpful. But don't dress up your copy in a tone that doesn't match your truth.

  
  

Final Thoughts: Voice Isn't Just Style, It's Trust

Innocent's brand voice works because it's built on a genuine connection. It's not just playful for the sake of being playful; it's rooted in who they are, how they see the world, and how they want to make people feel.

A great tone of voice is really about emotional clarity and consistency. It's not about sounding clever; it's about sounding like yourself. Whether you're selling smoothies, software, or services, your tone should reflect your values, resonate with your audience, and build trust over time.

We can all learn from Innocent's witty copy and human tone. However, we should always see those lessons to shape our voice, not borrow someone else's.

Enjoyed this post? Catch up on Style Guide #1: Writing Like Mailchimp or stay tuned for the next instalment. I'll explore another brand with a strong voice. Got one you’d like me to cover? Let me know!