Established in late 2009, Enviably Me Pte Ltd began as a multi-brand retailer selling eco-friendly designer products such as bags made from recycled seat belts. While sourcing for new brands, Mr Terence Yow, CEO of Enviably Me, learnt about a Brazilian brand of plastic shoes called Melissa.

Melissa shoes are made using the patented Melflex® plastic, a hypoallergenic and extremely flexible PVC material that is 100% recyclable.

Explained Mr Yow, “We want to sell products that people would love and want to buy without even realising that the products are eco-friendly.” Melissa soon became a success in Singapore.

Keen to take Melissa to the next level, Enviably Me sought help from the UOB-SMU AEI to find out more about customers’ perception of Melissa.

The results of the brand audit validated the company’s hunch: Melissa’s brand of fun, vibrant, sexy and young-at-heart shoes appealed to fashion-forward working women, aged 25-40.

The audit also turned up some surprising findings. “We realised there was low customer awareness of the material used to make Melissa shoes. Some thought the shoes were made of rubber. Others thought cheap, lousy plastic was used,” noted Mr Yow.

To correct these misconceptions, Enviably Me has plans to include more information on the plastic material used in Melissa shoes in its marketing efforts. The company also plans to conduct further brand audits a few years down the road to track brand awareness and refine the brand messaging.

“However, branding is not a one-stop miracle shop. SMEs need to be clear about their products, target market and strategy to get the most out of branding advisory.”

• Understand your target segment  to develop a good marketing strategy
• Brand positioning has strong influence on customer perceptions
• Use brand audits to validate customer preferences.