Raphael Stevens

Welcome to the Emirates Woman weekly series ‘How I got my job as…’ where we speak to some incredible entrepreneurs, businesswomen and experts based in the UAE and globally to find out about their career paths that led them to where they are now; what their daily routines look like; the advice they’d give to those starting out; and the hurdles they’ve had to overcome.
This week we chat with Dina Almalik, the marketing manager at Flowers.ae, to understand how the floral boutique produces unique content that reflects the brand’s vision and values.
From wedding flowers to corporate events, Flowers.ae has a complete range of luxurious bespoke collections to cater to every client’s needs. As the UAE’s leading floral boutique, they offer delivery throughout Dubai and the UAE with flowers imported from Holland and Ecuador with impeccable customer service. With blooms available for any occasion, each arrangement is hand-tied and beautifully wrapped with the finest florals ranging from tulips to hydrangeas.
Emirates Woman sat down with the brand’s marketing manager to learn about her career path and how she translated her passion for content creation into this role.
What was your favorite subject at school?
Growing up, I was always fascinated by the Sciences, specifically Physics and Chemistry, which I excelled at in High School. On the other hand, I have always had a talent for painting, and have pursued that subject in depth throughout college. Colorful, abstract paintings sparked my interest the most. Coincidentally, I now know that my current role requires me to be a logical creative thinker, which explains my passion for both subjects.
What was your first job?
After obtaining my Architecture degree in 2015, my first job was at Art Dubai as a Project Manager in the first edition of Dubai Design Week (DXBDW15). My career has then taken a different route as I have discovered my passion for Business and Marketing and moved on to pursue that through acquiring a Master of Science in Marketing from King’s College London.

What brought you to Dubai?
My parents moved to Dubai in 1994 to start their own business. As a result, I have been living in Dubai since I was three years old and I am extremely fortunate to have been raised in such a modern and fastest-growing city. Dubai offers a lot of exciting career and business opportunities, drawing diverse talents from across the world, and becoming ‘the city of opportunity’. I consider Dubai to be my home and I can’t see myself living anywhere else.
What inspired you to enter the flower space and join flowers.ae?
I have always been in love with flowers and the meaning they carry. I am inspired by the memorable experiences we are able to create for the customer. It is extremely rewarding to be a part of someone’s special moments in life even if it’s in the smallest and least apparent way. It brings me joy to witness people’s reactions when they receive our floral arrangements. Imagine being able to make someone’s day by just delivering a couple of flowers. To have the power to turn someone’s day around and make someone happy! Moreover, I get great joy being a part of a team that spreads the language of love in many forms, from the birth of a child to a wedding proposal. Over the years, Flowers.ae has been trusted by thousands of people to deliver messages of love. With this trust, there is a great responsibility that we take very seriously and is enshrined in our brand and the driving philosophy of the company.
Talk us through the inspiration of your marketing campaigns.
The inspiration behind all of our marketing campaigns lies in the opportunity to deliver emotions through our brand and its products. WOW is the number one objective in all of our marketing campaigns. We invest heavily in high-quality content that is a true reflection of our flower arrangements and the special moments they celebrate. In my opinion, the UAE is very diverse and is a nation of different languages with a common love and appreciation of flowers which has been a great contributor to our success. Whatever language you speak, receiving flowers from a friend loved one, admirer, or business partner always invokes a sense of happiness. All of this is reflected in our content and marketing campaigns that aim to evoke the uniqueness of these occasions.
What are the key elements of your role?
I am responsible for developing, implementing and executing strategic marketing campaigns for Flowers.ae with a high emphasis on robust brand awareness campaigns that focus on acquiring potential customers and retaining existing ones. Key aspects of my role include leading and managing a creative team, performing market research, and designing creative campaigns which demonstrate products that consumers will love. Our marketing strategies focus on digital and content marketing with story-telling at its core; crafting narratives that elevate the brand. Additionally, I spend some time evaluating emerging market trends and upcoming occasions. I also ensure that our florists act as your go-to gifting consultant. Upset your wife? Send her our 365 rose arrangement, a rose for each day of the year. Did your friend get promoted? How about some sunflowers, representing the joy of the occasion?

Talk us through your daily routine.
My day begins at 7am when I first arrive at the shop and start by gathering my thoughts and ideas for the day before my team arrives. The marketing team arrives at 8am. We sit together as a team to go through the data we have gathered and analyse the consumer behavior to specifically tailor our marketing efforts based on our customer’s needs. We then discuss what type of content we would like to focus on for the day including the type of flower arrangements to promote, the occasion to focus on, and the style of content we would like to portray. Afterward, the fun part of our job begins, which is content creation.
What advice do you have for anyone looking to follow in the same footsteps?
If there’s one thing I learned from spending my university years obtaining my architecture degree, it’s not to be afraid to change your career path. You may think that life is dictated by your educational degree and your years of experience in one field, however, don’t be afraid to experiment with new things, eventually, you will discover something that you are really passionate about and can excel in. On the other hand, my marketing advice would be to focus on digital and content marketing. Create content that is very relatable to the consumer, marketing is after all a game of relevance. It is equally important to focus on your leadership skills and invest in your team as they are considered to be the pillars of your success. Moreover, do your research and understand your audience. Use data analytics to understand your consumer’s behavior and tailor your marketing efforts accordingly. Be relatable, and relevant and strike an emotional response to build a base of loyal customers.
What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
The best piece of advice I have ever received was from the founder of Flowers.ae, Garreth Knowd, who told me to focus on generating marketing content that evokes emotion in the consumer which will make all the difference and help you stand out against competitors in this saturated and complex market. He added, to always be relevant and relatable to the consumer which will result in a long-term relationship built upon trust and loyalty.

And what is the worst?
The worst advice I have ever received was to stay away from partnerships and collaborations. I believe choosing the right partnership can serve as a key to the brand’s success and potentially accelerate its growth. Working in collaboration with other luxury brands can significantly impact the trajectory of the brand. The key lies in choosing the right brand to collaborate with, with a deep and meaningful purpose driving this collaboration.
What has been the biggest challenge you had to overcome?
One thing is certain, we live in a dynamic and technological era, which means businesses need to be extremely adaptable. To thrive, brands will have to adopt new behaviors to stay relevant and take advantage of all the innovations in Artificial Intelligence by adopting a forward-thinking approach. You can’t run away from emerging technologies, you will have to embrace them and start looking at ways to incorporate them into your brand.
What are the future plans for Flowers.ae?
Flowers.ae has completely revolutionised the floral industry by adopting a customer-centric strategy that focuses on creating the best experience for the customer, through offering the finest service. We’re your consultants. We go above and beyond in creating flower arrangements that will make that special occasion extraordinary and unforgettable. As for the future, Flowers.ae will continue to grow, increase its market share and enhance its position in the floral market as the region’s go-to luxury florist. Moreover, we will continue to elevate the customer experience through the personalization of every touchpoint in the journey whilst offering a seamless e-commerce flower delivery service.
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