The Innocent Blue Drink advert starring Duncan from Blue
In 2019, Innocent Drinks launched their Bolt from the Blue juice.
Sure, it’s ‘high in vitamins b1, b2, b3 and b6 which contribute to normal energy yielding metabolism and vitamin C which can help reduce tiredness and fatigue’ and so on. It tastes like apples, coconut water and joy. But let’s be real — this drink’s main selling point is the fact it’s blue.
A blue drink was always going to get people’s attention. In fact, we’re pretty sure this drink was concocted primarily with a digital marketing strategy in mind. It worked. Following the success of Bolt from the Blue, there are more Innocent blue drinks on the way — with the Blue Spark smoothie joining the range in 2020.
But how did Innocent Drinks ensure that their new blue drink became a talking point on social media? The same way they cornered the market on smoothies and fruit juices and built up a fan base of 291.6 thousand Twitter followers:
Comedy.
This funny advert was their key digital marketing asset during the initial Bolt from the Blue product launch.
We love the layers of comedy baked into this ad. But the top line idea is as simple as they come. The product is blue and there was a band called Blue.
What takes this to the next the level is the fact that Innocent weren’t afraid to tie in some topical comedy. They made a running joke of Duncan’s desperation to be paid, with reference to all four members of Blue filing for bankruptcy.
We love this version of Duncan — a heightened caricature. He presents a classically desperate comedy character who is simultaneously promoting the product, checking whether he’s been paid yet, and all-but-begging other brands, “Pay me to promote your products, PLEASE!” Real-life Duncan has earned our respect for being for it, and for his fantastic delivery of the ad’s jokes — most of which are self-deprecating.
Of course, it helps that the script is strong, with lines like, “I’m in this because I really believe in this product or service”. The final punchline, “Is it actually blue though, it looks a bit green”, suggests that the Innocent creative team has a strong handle on sketch comedy structure (unlike so many TV advertising creatives).
It also reminds us that Innocent is, as ever, game to make fun of themselves — and the continuing ‘debate’ over whether the drink is actually blue formed a key part of the overall marketing strategy.
The ad also incorporates plenty of physical and visual comedy — again Duncan sells this really well — with loads of bonus gags in the background to reward attentive viewing. One of the more prominent examples is the newspaper headline overtly reminding us that Duncan went bankrupt. But even that contains some frankly unnecessary wordplay. It’s the kind of detail that will delight fans of TV comedies such as The Good Place or Community, which go heavy on meta jokes, background puns and other text-based gags.
Just like a nutritiously dense juice drink, this ad is packed to bursting. There are so many jokes, it feels a lot longer than a minute and a half. That’s one way to get the most out of your advertising budget! Of course, another way to ensure maximum bang for your buck is to produce hilarious content that social media users can’t help but share.
This ad just goes to show that the application of comedy craft can turn a very basic idea into something genuinely funny, memorable and effective at driving sales. It’s another comedy smash hit from Innocent, and one of the many reasons we think they’re Awesome on Social Media. It’s also one of our 50 Funniest Commercials Ever.
Unlike Duncan, we weren’t paid to promote this drink (although for the record, I like to keep my fridge well supplied for personal use). But while you’re here, you may as well take a quick slurp of what’s in it:
2 pressed apples (66%), Coconut water (18%), Crushed white guava (5%), A dash of spirulina extract (0.8%), Lime (0.9%), 15 pressed grapes, A dash of squeezed passionfruit, Laughter — juice of the gods (0.7%), Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6 and E
