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“Although Spain began to rid herself of a good many of her complexes with the arrival of democracy,and she might even be said to have swung the other way entirely and become one of the most liberal countries in Europe,one would also expect ,spain, her to lose her inhibitions in the promotion of her brands”. Vicente Verdú a culture “Today,the Spanish language is synonymous with a growing, expanding market [...] Learning Spanish as a second language is all the rage in the top East Coast universities”. brand Fernando R.Lafuente From Altamira to leading brands “The brands of the companies of a particular country and of its products and services are essential for determining its reputation and its social,cultural and technological image in the rest of the world”. Guillermo de la Dehesa “In Spain,there is a series of companies that the international media in this sector call “the New Spanish Armada”. Covadonga O’Shea Published by the Leading Brands of Spain Association Sponsored by: Leading Brands of Spain 00 Preliminares INGLÉS+.qxd 29/5/06 10:39 Página 3 ,spain, a culture brand From Altamira to leading brands Leading Brands of Spain 00 Preliminares INGLÉS+.qxd 29/5/06 10:39 Página 5 contents 6 Prologue José Montilla Aguilera, Minister of Industry, Tourism and Trade 8 Presentation José Luis Bonet, Chairman of the Leading Brands of Spain Forum 10 The Leading Brands of Spain Forum I. Innovation and tradition Vicente Verdú 17 There’s no business like top brand business Mariano Navarro 55 The art brand II. New signs of cultural presence Guillermo de la Dehesa 72 Brands and country image, a question of synergy Fernando R. Lafuente 96 Culture and language as leading brands Julio Cerviño 118 Sport and the value of brands Covadonga O’Shea 142 Fashion, design and brand Carlos Bustos 156 Technology in brands Lorenzo Díaz 180 The flavour of brands Esther Eiros 196 Spain, a brand destination 219 Authors | Brand Index 00 Preliminares INGLÉS+.qxd 29/5/06 10:39 Página 6 prologue e move within a world of perceptions. a world in which perception surpasses reason and determines our reality. Aware as we are W of this, it is no coincidence that the brand concept —a name usually accompanied by a graphic symbol— aimed mainly at generating a perception often divorced from reason, has become highly relevant over the last few decades. Furthermore, we are living in an increasingly competitive global economic envi- ronment which has caused the brand to be a fundamental element of company success, and it has undeniably become a key tool for commercial competitiveness. Although the brand concept might, at first, seem clear, there are many con- ceptual definitions to be found in the economic or business milieu, and espe- cially in the marketing milieu. Without going into a string of different definitions, one of the foremost would be the one that sees the brand as the distinctive sign which not only indicates that certain goods or services have been provided by one particular person or company but also one that, ever since the early part of the Industrial Revolution, has become a way of identifying those who use these goods or services. However, although this definition is a broad one, it does not go far enough as it fails to mention a fundamental aspect to be taken into account when talking about the brand. Specifically, I am referring to the fact that every manufactur- er or producer, whether an individual or a collective, is part of a particular socio- cultural context which, with very few exceptions, is linked to a territory, a country. It is this aspect that has given rise to the idea of enhancing a concept of the brand that has not always received the attention it deserves. An idea which is root- ed in the desire to emphasise the link between a concept which is markedly commercial in nature, the brand, with another that is markedly sociological in nature, culture. And it is precisely this link that has given rise to the idea of “a culture brand” that has inspired this book which I am proud to present. This link is reflected in the reality of our historical evolution as a country and with regard to our brands. Artistic, industrial, tourism, services and technology brands that have played, and will continue to play, a leading role in the cultural construction of Spain’s image. From the primitive paintings in the Altamira Caves to the top Spanish brands of today, much has been done to help “Spain” become a brand worthy of prestige, a brand that speaks for itself for our industry, our trade and, of course, for our tourism. However, there is still a long way to go. Because of globalisation and the diversifica- tion of production, the existence of this Country-Brand is essential for asso- ciating goods and services to a guarantee of quality and prestige linked to its country of origin. For this reason, as Minister of Industry, Tourism and Trade, I can only applaud and lend my wholehearted support to initiatives such as the one that has enabled the publication of this book, Spain, a Culture Brand, by the Leading Brands of Spain Association. I am convinced that this book, thanks to the painstakingly 6 | spain, a culture brand 00 Preliminares INGLÉS+.qxd 29/5/06 10:39 Página 7 detailed review of the role played by the brand in Spanish culture, will help, on the one hand, to give impetus to our country as a distinctive quality brand, and on the other, to show the high status and, in many cases, the clear leadership of a good many Spanish brands on the international stage. This is something that Spain must work on daily in order to make progress in a new world that is increasingly demanding and competitive. José Montilla Aguilera Minister of Industry, Tourism and Trade spain, a culture brand | 7 00 Preliminares INGLÉS+.qxd 29/5/06 10:39 Página 8 presentation n the five years since the setting up of the Leading Brands of Spain Forum (fmre), we have been carrying out a series of initiatives to stimulate Ithe internationalisation of top Spanish brands. We have also helped to cre- ate a positive image for Spain abroad, and therefore situate our country in its rightful place in terms of its history, effort and operational effectiveness. The close link between the interests of Spain’s top brands and her overall interests might, at times, seem distorted by the legitimate economic aims of the companies that own these brands. Yet we should remember that what is good for our companies is good for our country, and it is precisely these top-brand companies that act as an impulse for the economy and also for other brands that are trying to obtain a firm footing in foreign markets. The writer and journalist, Vicente Verdú, speaks plainly in this book: “Although Spain began to rid herself of a good many of her complexes with the arrival of democracy, and she might even be said to have swung the other way entirely and become one of the most liberal countries in Europe, one would also expect her to lose her inhibitions in the promotion of her brands”. And he goes on: “The Spanish State, now acknowledged as a political and economic brand that aspires to take part in the next G-9 Summit, needs to extend this ambition to promot- ing her top quality products on the global market”. Naturally, Spain has quality products and services that have made their presence felt in the competitive international market by projecting Spain’s image, her lifestyle, her way of doing things: in short, her culture. And let me quickly mention here a multi-faceted added value for each of these achievements: the projected image includes diverse inspirational images (for example, in tourism, gastronomy or the culture industry – diversity is wealth), and the same thing occurs with life styles and cultures. This needs to be said, because it should be made quite clear that when entering international markets, organisation and co-ordination cannot involve any spir- it of uniformity. Therefore, leaving aside the specific interests of personal gain, all these argu- ments lead us to look on top brands as a basic strategic element when acquiring a solid foreign presence for Spain, a presence which will be beneficial to anyone who intends to be successful beyond our borders under the auspices of the Country Brand. Guillermo de la Dehesa analyses the current state of the Leading Brands/Coun- try Brand relationship and as well as reminding us that we are more suspicious of our image than foreigners are, he issues us with a challenge: “Spain’s image needs to improve, as it does not mirror reality”. A group of authors, as diverse as our culture, has been assembled in this book to start a discussion on the role played by brands, a discussion which necessarily goes beyond the purely economic context to become part of the cultural context. 8 | spain, a culture brand 00 Preliminares INGLÉS+.qxd 29/5/06 10:39 Página 9 In the past, the responsibility for a country’s external presence was held by institutions connected with the Crown or the Church. Today, the players are indi- viduals and companies, and the role of the State is to support this presence. Our start-up capital is fairly substantial, as Mariano Navarro rightly points out when analysing what he calls “the art brand” and Fernando R.

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