Passion bears fruit for those Innocent-era entrepreneurs

Was it just me who thought your story ‘We’re all Innocent’ (DW 11 October) offered rather myopic insight? What about the motivation of the young, and enthusiastic entrepreneurs of the past 20 years who wanted a new, direct way of talking to the consumer?

Fed up with staid, corporate design and straight-laced copy, these mavericks wanted a no-nonsense approach to their consumers. Passion became the buzz word. Through great products, tone of voice and approachable design, they echoed a broader cultural trend of reintroducing intimacy to our dealings with food, such as the craze for farmers’ markets and provenance-based products.

Innocent was just a strand of this desire to add a personal touch to business; almost all of the Californian and New Zealand brands beat it to it. Of course, your man got one thing right – people have to want what you are offering, and you have to mean what you say, to prevent it becoming like the intimacy of an unwelcome touch from a lecherous boss.

Tess Wicksteed, Planning director, Pearlfisher, London W6