If we asked you to name a paint brand you’d use when decorating your house, who would you name?
Dulux, Valspar, Crown, Wickes, Johnstones, Farrow & Ball, Annie Sloan?
What about Lick?
Lick launched in 2020 and describes itself as a “community-powered decorating movement”. Now, this might sound like some cheesy marketing spiel, so what do they actually do? Well, they sell high-quality paint, wallpaper & tools and their target audience is the next generation of homeowners, DIYers and renters.
And they must be doing something right! Having been stocked online with B&Q, they are now available in-store, accompanied by first-of-its-kind interactive digital screens.
So, how did they get to this point?
Community, content and collaborations.
Let’s take a closer look.
Community
What came first, the content or the community…?
In the real world, content generally comes before the community. Especially for new brands.
But, if you’re content is going to be successful, you need to know who the audience is. So, in that sense, the community comes first.
From the start of their journey, Lick has curated content around its target audience. By looking at their website and social media feeds, you can see how they are targeting their efforts toward aspirational, creative millennials who are looking for home décor inspiration.
Their website features home tours with influencers such as Daisy Lowe, Vogue Williams and Rina Sawayama and there is a tonne of inspiration-themed content, categorised by décor style.
It’s not just their content that reflects their community though. They are also involved in initiatives, such as becoming a B Corp, which links strongly to the values of their audience.
Content
The sustainable home décor brand seems to have two themes to its content.
1. What they do
2. Why they do it
Simple, really.
If they’re not talking about their environmental credentials, they’re talking about interior inspiration and artistic advice.
As mentioned above, some of Lick's content uses third parties such as influencers, to communicate to their audience. But, because of the size of their community, they can continually tap into it for user-generated content (UGC).
At the time of writing this, it’s mid-afternoon on a Monday. And today, alone, the brand’s Instagram account has been tagged by seven enthusiastic home decorators sharing their renovation projects featuring Lick paint. What the brand is great at is sharing these projects as inspiration to their community.
One recent post focuses on the bedroom. It features 8 different projects by accounts which average 5,000 followers each.
Think of the time and resources it would have taken Lick to create each setup.
But, by harnessing the power of UGC, showcasing real homes and the different ways their product can be used, they’ve managed to create a single piece of content in no time at all and for minimal resources.
By using real-life examples, Lick can make connections between aspirational interior design and their audience through their content.
Their website and social channels are also full of tips and tricks, interviews with experts and how-to guides covering anything and everything to do with home décor, not just painting and wallpapering.
Collaborations
When looking at Lick’s website, we spotted a “collaborations” section.
As well as a partnership with a digital flower arranger, Studio Coverdale, there were partnerships with CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) and Soho House.
The CALM collaboration sees a range of calming colours curated into a set palette which sees all profits from the sales of these products go to the charity. A fantastic gesture and something we weren’t surprised to see from the brand. However, a unique way of activating such a partnership.
The Soho House collaboration is an interesting one. The brand’s founder, Lucas London, told Management Today “We saw a large amount of people ask for the Soho House look, so for us it was clear synergy in that we could provide Soho House colors [sic]”.
Again, by understanding their audience, they have been able to pull off an ambitious collaboration which perfectly sits with their target customer and provides a great opportunity to grow the brand and drive revenue.
Wrapping Up
There was so much for us to go on with Lick. They’ve nailed it.
They understand their audience and they deliver valuable content for them, all of which means they’re front of mind for their ideal customer.
Another great example we stumbled across was the Lick Colours Tool which integrates with Pinterest, a platform predominantly used by their target audience for home décor inspiration. Essentially, Pinterest users can create a mood board and then use Lick’s digital tool to identify the colours and have samples made.
The other thing is, that the brand doesn’t rest on its laurels. It constantly tries new things, such as a recent “create the look” post which had been developed in collaboration with an interiors and lifestyle influencer, Jess Clark. The post not only featured the paint Jess has used but also where to buy the various pieces of furniture included in her living room look.
But our favourite has to be a collaboration with Heinz!
Yes, the global, high-quality paint and wallpaper company created a limited-edition Tomato Ketchup Red Paint (HTK 57). If that’s not thinking outside the box, we don’t know what is.
Ultimately, Lick knows what works and they milk it! But, they’re not afraid to push the boundaries too, and discover what else might work.
Until next time, thanks for reading.