Marketing is often overlooked by a vast number of growers or breeders, with a focus on sales instead. Brand identity is crucial to building a sustainable brand and establishing your position in the market. Through this week's 10 questions to Jaime De Los Reyes, we will dive into the value marketing can have to your flower business.
You can feel his passion for brand identity, marketing, and positioning. The incredible work he has done in past years as the marketing manager for Royal Flowers Group.
A very insightful read, enjoy it!
Question 1
For those who don’t know you, who are you and what do you do?
"My name is Jaime De Los Reyes, and I am 31 years old. Born and living in Quito, Ecuador, I work as the Marketing Manager for Royal Flowers and the Creative Director for the Elite Group.
I have a strong background in fashion retail marketing and creative direction for audiovisual campaigns. After spending a year working with Carolina Herrera and three years in a fashion marketing agency, I stumbled upon an opportunity in an unfamiliar industry. It was an intriguing challenge with many opportunities. By the end of 2020, I joined Royal Flowers Group. As a marketing manager, it was indeed challenging to learn about the traditional floral industry and help it adapt to the "new normal," reassuring clients that Royal Flowers was there to support them.
After two successful years of implementing my marketing strategies at Royal Flowers, we merged with the Elite Group in May 2023. This merger presented me with a new opportunity to develop the marketing department for seven brands (Royal Flowers, Qualisa, BellaRosa, Agrinag, Natuflor, Natura Eterna, and Alma) and to serve as the creative director for all of these brands while continuing my role as the marketing manager for Royal Flowers. Currently, our marketing department comprises eight talented individuals in roles such as marketing managers, marketing assistants, graphic designers, and audiovisual production managers.
As the Creative Director, my responsibilities include creating briefings and developing creative ideas for four annual campaigns based on the commercial and marketing strategy. I also guide and execute these ideas into photos and videos with the assistance of the production team.
In my role as Marketing Manager of Royal Flowers, I develop the quarterly strategy for the brand, following a 360-degree approach that encompasses global shows, PR, storytelling, trade marketing, digital marketing, rewards and loyalty programs, influencer and media marketing, product placement, and packaging development.
Over the past four years, I have found my work incredibly rewarding. I have been able to leverage my strengths in visual brand DNA and creative direction to achieve significant results in brand awareness, recognition, audience growth, distribution, reach, and return on investment through lead generation."
Question 2
What is so special about your job?
"Marketing is a term that can mean everything and nothing to those unfamiliar with it. Yet, in 2020, it became the most sought-after role by companies worldwide, as businesses needed marketers to create new departments and help them navigate challenging times while preparing for the future in 2024.
While marketing strategies must focus on sales and collaborate closely with sales departments, I discovered the immense potential of this field when I entered the industry. Back in 2021, most brands were promoting themselves with a raw product-oriented strategy, using slogans, visuals, and messages that highlighted the brand by showcasing farmworkers and raw products in simple round bouquets.
My background in fashion and retail revealed that these beautiful brands lacked personality and a cohesive brand identity. Successful brands differentiate themselves through a strong core identity, consistent messaging across all platforms, emotional connections—whether nostalgic, fun, or aspirational—and a compelling creative image that ensures immediate recognition and memorability.
One of the most rewarding aspects of my job is interpreting, reimagining, and fully realizing a brand's potential.
For instance, when I joined Royal Flowers, they used the slogan “Ecuadorian Premium Flowers” and had a logo combining a crown and a flower, symbolizing the company's name literally. I saw an opportunity to align the flower industry with the fashion industry, where trends and colors are influenced by floral influencers, wedding designers, and global phenomena like fashion weeks or interior design shows. I revamped the brand’s image to reflect this visual appeal, evoking 90s retail nostalgia with large fashion billboards.
Regarding the slogan, I noticed that many farm slogans were either meaningless or overly embellished. I believe a slogan should be simple and directly related to the product. By observing the sales team, I realized that the sales representatives, with their unique language and rapport with clients, were the true stars of the brand. This insight led to our new slogan: "WE SPEAK FLOWERS."
This is just one example of how I’ve transformed a beautiful brand. We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new breathtaking packaging in fall 2024."
Question 3
Are there any specific challenges or obstacles you’ve faced at work, and how did you overcome them?
"Social media has expanded so significantly that it has become essential for industry presence, brand awareness, and increased brand recognition. Given our business-to-business (B2B) model, our communication on these platforms aims to reach a broad audience, including clients, competitors, brand enthusiasts, florists, and influencers. While we've excelled in differentiating ourselves, telling compelling stories, and driving traffic, one major challenge has been generating leads from potential customers interested in buying from us.
As a B2B company, we cannot showcase pricing, resulting in a large database of interested buyers. Initially, we struggled to create ads that offered a good return on investment, often attracting leads wanting to purchase small quantities of flowers or facing transportation logistics issues.
As I always say, successful campaigns require teamwork. My marketing coordinator, Maria Paula Gabela, an expert in ads and lead generation, assisted me in overcoming this challenge. We soon realized that our target ad segmentation, utilizing newsletter forms, website traffic redirection, and user-generated content, led to forms with specific categories that allowed us to filter leads. This process enabled us to redirect less suitable leads to our clients' customers (B2C) while opening accounts with high-quality leads.
This might sound straightforward, but it involved a year and a half of digital learning, during which we grew by leveraging the data provided by social platforms and feedback from our sales department."
Question 4
What are the threats in the industry, and if so, do you have any solutions for them?
"As a Marketing Manager, we are constantly seeking to enhance and improve our packaging to provide our clients with the best possible experience and to reflect our brand DNA through the design. However, achieving this has been challenging due to the high costs and complexities associated with sustainable practices and innovative designs.
Our future vision includes several key innovations to revolutionize the future of the flower packaging industry:
1. Temperature-Controlled Boxes: We plan to create boxes with insulated materials and integrated cool gel packs to maintain the cold chain and ensure the flowers' freshness during transit. Fresh bags will also be used to keep the stems hydrated.
2. Eco-Friendly Materials: We aim to reduce environmental impact by using compostable materials. This includes minimizing the use of plastic wrap ties and developing cardboard ties integrated into the box to secure the flower bunches.
3. Functional Design: Our packaging will be designed to transform into a functional display, such as a flower vase, allowing customers to showcase their flowers immediately upon receiving them.
4. Modular and Ergonomic Boxes: We will develop modular, ergonomic boxes that can be easily assembled and disassembled, providing flexibility to fit various bunch sizes without wasting space. These boxes will include shock-absorbing materials to prevent bruises and color damage during transit.
5. Enhanced Sensory Experience: Innovative features like scented packaging will complement the flowers, enhancing the overall sensory experience and reinforcing our brand identity.
By implementing these ideas in the future, we aim to set new standards in the flower packaging industry, delivering exceptional quality and experience to our clients."
Question 5
How has technology like e-commerce platforms or digital marketing affected your industry, which strategies have you employed to stay competitive?
"Staying current in the digital landscape has become essential for any flower brand wishing to maintain relevance. Throughout my tenure as Marketing Manager, our online presence has been pivotal.
For flower growers, the website serves as a crucial platform—it's where clients land after a Google search to discover product novelties, trends, and technical details, and to access audiovisual materials. While our competitors at Royal Flowers have excelled in their online positioning across search engines, our strategy included a complete redesign of our website to achieve a modern, ergonomic look.
Our approach focused not on reinventing the wheel, but on refining proven techniques and pushing past traditional design boundaries. Our primary goal was to create a user-friendly experience with intuitive navigation tailored to our audience's needs. Central to this redesign was the introduction of horizontal scrolling—an innovative solution aimed at addressing the challenge posed by the fact that 75% of users do not scroll past the first page.
Unlike conventional websites that can overwhelm users with excessive information, our revamped platform presents a curated selection of products and brand details in a visually engaging format optimized for mobile devices. This design caters to today's audience, 80% of whom use their phones for work.
Horizontal scrolling was chosen to replicate the experience of browsing through a sophisticated retail display, allowing users to effortlessly explore our product range without extensive navigation requirements.
The redesigned website features thumb-friendly navigation and functions as a dynamic catalog that can be easily shared and accessed with a simple click. By streamlining search categories and implementing horizontal scrolling, users can locate their desired category and then explore specific products, videos, articles, or other content within that category with ease."
Question 6
Who (in or outside the floral industry) is an inspiring example to you? And Why?
"I greatly admire Lewis Miller! This New Yorker has caught my attention with his inventive methods in branding and guerrilla marketing. Since 2016, his flower flash mob has dominated NYC, and his approach resonates deeply with me: taking existing elements and applying creative large-scale initiatives to inspire others is at the core of my own approach."
Question 7
How do you handle stress or difficult moments in your life?
"I firmly believe that work inherently involves stress; it's part of the job and something we must learn to manage. In the creative realm of marketing, we sometimes tend to overanalyze or complicate matters that could have simple solutions. Through experience, I've come to understand that stress and overwork can lead to tunnel vision, which, while helpful in focusing on project completion, should be avoided whenever possible.
I've learned that taking a break, stepping away from a project, and gaining a fresh perspective can be immensely beneficial. Personally, I often pause work to visit contemporary art museums, peruse magazines, acquire photography books, or watch TED talks by Duncan Wardle for inspiration and new insights before returning to projects with renewed energy and innovative approaches.
As I always say, everyone possesses creativity, but it can sometimes be stifled by the pressures of adulthood, corporate standards and seriousness."
Question 8
What has been the best (floral or non-floral) news for you lately, or of the last year?
"Every day, receiving news from breeders about testing, introducing, or launching new varieties is always the highlight of my day.
Innovation, product development, and research are our motivations in the marketing department. These initiatives keep us at the forefront of the industry, allowing us to lead in distributing the latest floral trends.
I'm particularly pleased that breeders value feedback from marketing departments across all farms. We provide insights into intangible aspects like current trends in events, fashion, and interior design worldwide. These perspectives are invaluable to breeders, offering a different angle from the productivity and durability concerns of sales and farm departments. As a result, we're witnessing the emergence of many innovative, modern, and trendy varieties worldwide, all thanks to the input of marketing professionals in the floral industry."
Question 9
Which is your favorite flower/plant and why is it good for you?
"Currently, my favorite rose variety is "Veggie."
Flower breeders and growers are increasingly recognizing how roses can take center stage in bouquets rather than merely serving as fillers.
For instance, previously, ranunculus and anemones dominated bouquets because of their ability to stand out and shine independently. Even when our roses were included in those arrangements, the true stars were these summer flowers.
From a farming perspective, we may not cultivate these summer blooms, but "Veggie" stands out as resilient as our best roses, boasting exceptional production and a breathtaking design that rivals any focal summer flower. Additionally, a green rose like "Veggie" brings a trendy color option perfect for monochromatic events or decor."
Question 10
What are you doing this weekend?
"On weekends, I prioritize physical activity, either spending 45 minutes lifting weights at the gym and doing 35 minutes of cardio on the treadmill, or biking around the city for 5 miles. For me, exercise is integral to my routine, as it allows me to unwind from work and focus on my well-being. Moreover, staying healthy contributes to better sleep and enhances my efficiency at work.
Equally important is maintaining a balance between my professional and personal life. I prioritize spending quality time with friends and family during weekends, whether enjoying a relaxed dinner at a nice restaurant, watching a movie, walking my dogs in the park, or clubbing with friends.
I also enjoy attending social events hosted by various brands, where I connect with industry peers to foster relationships and build professional networks. These gatherings are invaluable for cultivating public relations within the industry."
All pictures courtesy of Jaime De Los Reyes.
