Woolly hats take gold

Remember those little woolly hats that came on the top of Innocent smoothie bottles? Well on Monday they won a National Example of Excellence award for being an inspiring example of positive business impact in the community, marketplace, workplace and environment.

Innocent’s campaign, Supergran 2006, triumphed in the Cause Related Marketing category and the company was presented its award by Prince Charles and environmental pioneer Al Gore at a ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall.

Running over the four weeks leading up to Christmas last year, tiny woollen hats were knitted by people in Age Concern centres for Innocent smoothie bottles that were sold in selected retailers, including Sainsbury’s and EAT. For each bottle that was sold Innocent donated 50p to Age concern to help the charity keep elderly people warm over the winter period.

But it wasn’t just the money-raising qualities or originality of Supergran 2006 that caught the judges eyes. The campaign also encouraged social interaction, as older people were brought together in knitting circles to produce the minuscule hats.

Innocent already has plans afoot for this year’s follow up – The Big Knit, a bid to produce 400,000 tiny, money-raising hats.