Licious is betting heavily on content, creators and regional storytelling as it works towards an ambitious goal: becoming for meat and seafood what Amul has become for dairy in India.
The company wants Licious to move beyond being simply a brand and become closely associated with the category itself.
“If, 18 months from now, people say, ‘Licious order karte hain?’ instead of saying ‘chicken order karte hain’, then we’ll know we’ve succeeded in becoming part of the culture,” said Varun Khanna, SVP-Marketing at Licious.
Over the past five years, Licious has changed the role of content in its marketing strategy. Instead of merely supporting advertising campaigns, content is now becoming an important tool for building consumer trust and driving growth.
Social media and content have grown from almost no investment to around 15–20% of the company’s marketing spend over the past 18 months. During the launch of its momo range, as much as 80–90% of the marketing investment went into content and creators.
The strategy is particularly important in meat and seafood, where consumers often have questions about freshness, hygiene, sourcing and quality. Licious believes creators who experience its sourcing and processing operations can communicate these aspects more convincingly.
The company says its consumer consideration score has increased from 41% to 57% during this period.
Operating across 18 cities, Licious is also tailoring its communication to regional food habits rather than treating India as a single market.
In Chennai, its Tharam Adhu Nirantharam campaign used regional creators to communicate the importance of fish quality. In markets such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, communication has focused more on snacking, lifestyle occasions and protein consumption.
Licious is also using packaging and its own app as communication platforms. It has moved away from traditional black meat packaging towards formats that allow consumers to see the product, while using the pack to communicate information about flavours and quality.
Around 75–80% of Licious’ business comes through its own platform, while about 90% comes from repeat customers. With more than 300 SKUs, the company can also customise its offerings according to regional preferences.
Licious is now looking beyond traditional meat consumption towards the larger protein market. Its daily protein range includes a 200-gram chicken breast portion providing around 30 grams of protein, positioned as a convenient everyday option.
The company is also developing its Our Good Protein (OGP) initiative to encourage consumers to get protein through regular food rather than relying only on powders and shakes.
“Protein should be eaten on a plate, not consumed in a glass,” Khanna said.
With an estimated 93% of India’s meat and seafood market still unorganised, Licious sees considerable room for organised brands to grow.
Its long-term ambition is bigger than selling meat online. The company wants Licious to become a name consumer automatically associate with meat and seafood in India.