It takes a pretty committed consumer to turn up for an event that is essentially a celebration of a particular brand; a voluntary marketing exercise. By their nature, these events are likely to be attended by brand enthusiasts, so appear to be very much about preaching to the converted.
People turning up to support their favourite football club each week is a concept that some find difficult to fathom, but replace the fan's favourite team with their most loved drink and it begins to sound a bit daft. Yet friends who have attended one of Innocent's annual shindigs say they are well attended and enjoyable. The 2007 event attracted 50,000 people.
Let's be clear. There is a key difference between branded gatherings such as Innocent's Fete or Ben & Jerry's Summer Sundae, and events like the hugely successful V Festival, where the emphasis is on music, rather than the Virgin brand.
The latter category is where Innocent should be looking now.
The withdrawal of Village Fete is another milestone in the firm's fascinating story, which started ten years ago when three university friends decided to invent a drink that would make people feel good about themselves.
Now part owned by global behemoth Coca-Cola, Innocent has a new found maturity as a brand. It is no longer a cheeky challenger, but a drinks brand to be reckoned with, and it needs to start behaving that way.
It should be looking to sponsorships that project the brand to the masses in a positive environment, rather than quirky experiences that reinforce its brand values to a specific group of existing converts.
Richard Abbott is Deputy Editor