Licious goes for a brand refresh. Is it too soon?

In an exclusive chat, Santosh Hegde, VP, brands, shares why the D2C company decided to get a new logo, continue to make their consumers their brand ambassadors, and more

By Priyanka Nair

Published: Jun 2, 2022 12:27:30 PM IST

Updated: Jun 2, 2022 02:40:40 PM IST

Vivek Gupta (left) and Abhay Hanjura, cofounders, Licious

In 2015, when Abhay Hanjura and Vivek Gupta got together to set up an online meat and seafood store, the duo made sure that they added a generous sprinkling of quirkiness every time they had something new to communicate to their consumers.

The brand, through a digital property called Facehunt, asked for testimonials and recipes from consumers. About 15 to 20 consumers were shortlisted through this initiative and their faces were sketched on the brand’s packaging. Since then consumers have been Licious’ brand ambassadors. The consumer images are refreshed on a regular basis.

Now, after being in the business for seven years, the direct-to-consumer brand has decided to refresh itself including a new logo.

Talking exclusively to Storyboard18, Santosh Hegde, vice president, brands, at Licious, explains the new strategy behind the refresh. He says that Licious was started with the aim to organise the category. “As this (the category) is widening, our competition base is also expanding. Today, a quick commerce brand is also our competition because they stock up on meat, eggs, and products similar to ours," he adds.

Additionally, Licious is also expanding its portfolio by moving into the ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook categories. The brand wants to remain relevant to everyone, from the consumers who are coming on to the brand’s app for convenience and indulgence.

Licious' new packaging

As part of the brand refresh, Licious has picked up two “super-users,” Ayushi Guha and Siddhartha Sanjay, who will appear on the new packaging along with the new logo. 90 percent of the company’s revenue comes from repeat consumers, says Hegde. Keeping that in mind and the brand’s original philosophy, Licious is continuing to make consumers an important marketing ingredient.

Too early for a brand refresh?

Hegde says the brand looked at a lot of empirical data that suggested that the most loved brands have made some changes in their brand identity or refreshed themselves in the period of six to eight years. He gave examples of consumer tech companies such as Facebook and Google. “It’s never too late or never too early to undertake a refresh as long as the base logic to it is sound,” he adds.

He also agrees that consumers do remember some brand assets. For example logo patterns, colours and design. That’s why “consistency” is critical, he states.

The new logo

In Licious’ case, the new packaging will have sketches of super-users indulging in the brand’s products and produce. The new logo has a combination of grey, red, and white colours, “...to enliven the lusciousness that one associates with meat—the taste, texture, and aroma of the consumption experience,” adds Hegde.

The brand identity will also be reflected on the brand’s app, website, offline stores, packaging, communications, and all branded assets. Codesign is the agency behind the design refresh.

Adding quirk to advertising

Recently, the company released a full-page ad over the weekend in a newspaper. The ad, created by the company's in-house creative team, used playing card references to position the brand’s latest ready-to-cook product—burger patty—as superior to the offerings of popular global QSR companies. The brand took a dig at Burger King and McDonald’s.

Licious' recent print ad in a newspaper

Hegde tells Storyboard18, “The creative is just a manifestation of what every Licious user firmly believes in, which is we are known for our superior products. That’s why we are not afraid to take on competitors. The confidence to make such a marketing move comes from there.”

The brand is also betting big on regionalisation of products and communication. Hegde hints there are a few marketing campaigns in the works. The company will also work closely with influencers to enhance the regional flavours of the brand's marketing strategies.