Crafting an Insight-Driven Lifestyle Brand with Ray Li of Sene

Dec 15

Ray Li is Co-Founder and CEO at Sene, a fashion technology brand that is using AI to make custom clothing accessible to all people.

In this episode of Let's Talk Limbic Sparks, Ray reveals how a brand can purposefully evolve to become more and more successful, when it is informed by deep consumer insights and rooted in an aspiration brand idea. Ray shares his approach to strategic brand management that he's fine-tuned since his days as a business and brand consultant, through the early struggles of entrepreneurship, to today.

We talk about the value of understanding consumers, and how that leads to breakthrough brand experiences for the category and significant competitive advantages. You'll hear how he's crafted a loved brand that draws people into a lifestyle they both relate to and desire.

Key Takeaways and Soundbites:

"The thing I realized that I care the most about, is doing something that hasn't been done. I'm not super interested in doing a slightly better version of something that's out there."

“When you look at a lot of brands today, a lot of them don't have soul. They have this beautiful exterior, some agency made it look great. But there's no soul. Who knows if they'll be around in ten years.”

“You win when you know your customers better than anyone else.”

“We talk to our customers all the time. People who never shopped with the brand. People who are super loyal. We look at the whole spectrum. It's been so valuable for us, because it's not just about specific pain points related to their experience. We now have an understanding of the aspirations, the hopes and dreams of everyone who shops with us.”

“It's shocking how few executives and how few companies really spend time with their customers. They just do things based on their own gut. We just find that there's so much value in talking with people.”

“(To create Limbic Sparks) You have to have a deeper meaning beyond product. What is a universal idea that people could love you for, even if they can't buy your product.”

Here are some fun facts about Ray…

Ray Li is co-founder and CEO of Sene, a fashion technology brand that is using AI to make custom clothing accessible to all people. Sene has been featured in Vanity Fair, Forbes, People Magazine, Complex, Business Insider, and Glamour. Its investors include senior executives at Nike, Under Armour, and Li & Fung. In 2021, Ray was awarded as one of LinkedIn's Top Voices for Entrepreneurship.