“Our promise of freshness is also a pain point for us”: Santosh Hegde, Licious

Licious, known for its meat delivery, is now advertising its ready-to-cook meats. A chat with the brand's VP, marketing, about this sub-segment and consumption preferences across India.

When a viewer sits down to watch an Indian Premier League (IPL) match, there are some things that he carries to his couch. A fully charged phone to tweet about the match, comfortable cushions to lean back on, etc. But wait, what about a snack? Bengaluru-based Licious is targeting these people, with its new commercials.

The three films created by Mumbai-based Tilt Brand Solutions, feature people who have gathered to watch the match in different locations. All the ads carry the same tagline - ‘Bahar ka ____ out, Licious in’. The blank changes with the different products in the ads.

One ad shows ready-to-cook (RTC) chicken wings, another shows tandoori chicken and the last one shows crispy prawns.

It is interesting to note that in two out of the three ads, the characters talk about wanting to order food from outside. It is clearly a nod to food aggregators like Swiggy and Zomato, and the various offers they are currently running for IPL viewers.

Over a call, Santosh Hegde, VP marketing at Licious, mentions that the intent of the commercials is to make people feel like they can go to the kitchen and cook these dishes themselves with minimal effort.

“The consumer research that we have conducted over the past few months, shows a strong connection between sporting events and snacking. For Indians, food plays a very strong role in socialising. After two years, people are finally getting together to watch matches and we wanted to capitalise on that viewing occasion in the commercials.”

Hegde adds that people want to go out and meet their friends, but are wary of meeting them in public places. That’s why the commercials portray friends spending time together in a sporting setup.

Licious’ consumer research revealed that during sporting events, more people were looking for ways to make their social gatherings more elevated. That’s the insight that the team at Tilt locked in on for this commercial.

Hegde says that the target audience for this campaign include people aged 22-35 years.

“As far as the RTC segment goes, it’s not just about the convenience, it’s also about the taste, and the feeling of cooking and having made something on your own.”

Licious’ RTC segment includes a combination of dishes that could be considered in the snacking category as well as those that could accompany a full course meal.

Notably, most items in this category are marinated meats. The marination process gives the meat a burst of flavour, however, it is a time consuming process. Marinating the meat also makes it tender, cutting down on the cooking time when it comes to the final preparation process.

Licious offers pre-marinated chicken, mutton and seafood options. The company claims that these products are made with natural ingredients, and are free of artificial flavours, colouring or preservatives. Licious also offers snacks like cutlets and kebabs, which can be prepared by searing in a pan.

Freshness of the product makes a world of difference in this category. It is the biggest factor that Licious keeps stressing on.

“Our biggest USP can also be a pain point for us. We are committed to ensuring that the consumers receive fresh meat. We are in complete control of the value chain - from where the meat is sourced until it reaches the consumers’ home. We store the products at 0-4 degrees celsius. We ensure that when it is out for delivery, the bags that it is stored in, are insulated. At retail stores, we ensure that the packages themselves are vacuum sealed,” Hegde says.

He adds that traditionally, meat has been a part of meal time consumption.

“In the spirit of expanding the category, we want to expand the number of occasions that meat is consumed in India. Our research showed us that consumers wanted to experiment with different cuisines. So, we made ready-to-eat kebabs, cutlets, tandoori food, etc., as a part of our line.”

Hegde mentions that most customers who purchase items from the RTC category, are those who have already bought base ingredients from Licious - which is fresh meats.

“Eighty-five per cent of our users are returning customers. During COVID, we saw an increase in our user base and, every month, we add 100,000 users to our existing audience.”

On the difference that Licious brings to the meat buying experience for consumers, Hegde says, “When it comes to meat, there is a lot of delight in the cooking experience as well as the consumption experience. But the buying experience (visiting wet markets) leaves a lot to be desired. This is why we know we can acquire new customers - since we are improving that experience for them.”

Hegde reveals that at the time the pandemic hit, the company, which is heavily dependent on a robust supply chain (starting from poultry farmers to the end customers), was initially unsure about how to react.

“However, the overall direct-to-consumer (D2C) sector has got a big boost. Normally, consumers would have taken few years to come on board with businesses. But in the time since 2020, we’ve seen more people migrating to online businesses.”

“The consumer is also more discerning now. India, as a country, is very protein deficient. People want to make healthier choices. They generally snack between breakfast and lunch, and between lunch and dinner. There are also some instances of post-dinner cravings.”

Since meat consumption differs from state to state, Hegde tells us that it is not possible to have a pan-India, one-size-fits-all approach to marketing.

“We have to be cognizant of the regional preferences that people have - be it meat types or the kind of dishes they cook with the meat. In metros, the consumption occasion may be limited to one person or two. But in other towns, it could be a family occasion. Our research has revealed many regional insights and we choose to play on those for our campaigns,” he signs off.