By Jonathan Kwok

WHILE many suppliers of architectural finishings rely on the tried-and-tested annual catalogue to showcase their product range to customers, EDL prefers more unconventional methods to raise its profile.

The six-year-old company mails product samples directly to the architects and designers who are responsible for selecting fittings for construction work. It also employs external branding consultants to produce what it calls thematic catalogues that follow a particular theme.

EDL's latest offering, Black Magic/White Logic, focuses on the colour themes of black and white, while an earlier catalogue featured the four seasons.

Related link: » 48 SMEs scoop awards for brand building

'The supplying of interior fittings is a very traditional trade, and people often use catalogues that look the same every year,' said Ms Daphne Lim, assistant manager of sales and marketing at EDL.

'People often don't go beyond that. However, we take the effort to produce innovative themed catalogues that change every six months, and use mailers to reach our target audience more directly.'

EDL's innovative branding drives have won it recognition. The company is one of 15 winners in the Promising Brand category for this year's Singapore Prestige Brand Award (SPBA), which is co-organised by the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises and Lianhe Zaobao.

The SPBA - the winners of which were announced yesterday evening at Marina Mandarin hotel - is in its eighth year and is designed to recognise companies which have successfully managed and developed their brands to boost performance.

Another winner in the Promising Brand category is frozen meat supplier Pin Corporation, the company behind the Linkrich meat brand. The firm uses 10 merchandising staff to visit supermarkets and ensure its products are properly displayed. Its retail executives also discuss ways to promote the brand with supermarket managers.

'We need to ensure that our brand is displayed well and is not out of stock. The supermarkets are often too busy to take care of our brand for us, so we do it ourselves,' said Ms Tan Seng Eng, Pin's executive director.

EDL said that its market share of the interior fittings market has grown to around 30 per cent, while Pin Corporation said it has become the third largest frozen meat importer in Singapore.

This year's SPBA attracted 135 entries, from which 52 winners over five categories were selected. An overall winner in each category will be announced on Dec 10 at the Ritz Carlton hotel.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.