The strategic alliance between major Spanish brands and businesses and the Government is even more pressing today than ever before in light of the uncertainty generated in international financial markets. This is how it is interpreted by the Leading Brands of Spain Forum Foundation, a key exponent of the fruitful collaboration that has been evolving over the last ten years or so between the leading companies in our country and the Spanish Government.

The admission of abertis, one of the world leaders in infrastructure management, marks a new milestone for the Leading Brands of Spain Forum (FMRE) in just 11 years of history. With the admission of the company led by Salvador Alemany, there are now 100 Spanish companies forming part of this project, all proprietors of leading brands in their respective sectors. Together with abertis, in their recent meeting on 11 November, the Board of Directors of the Leading Brands of Spain Association (AMRE) also approved the admission of the Miquel y Costas consortium (owners of the Smoking brand), Estrella Galicia and EADA business school.

Spain and its brands are becoming increasingly better known and appreciated by Chinese consumers. These are the findings of a survey conducted by the Leading Brands of Spain Association (AMRE) among the visitors at the Showroom/store for Spanish brands in the Spanish Pavilion at the Shanghai 2010 World Expo. Over 40% of the respondents highlighted the quality of the Spanish products, while 30% pointed to their design as being their main attraction. Furthermore, over 70% of the visitors associated Spain with the idea of a friendly, exotic and romantic country. In fact, although 96% stated that they had never been to Spain, more than 80% would like to do so in the not too distant future.

The Leading Brands of Spain Forum is now present on the leading social networking site on Internet. Passing the 500 million-user mark in July, Facebook has revolutionised communication between people and organisations in recent years, and the forum, ever open to innovation in communication, considers this to be an extraordinary tool for bringing about greater awareness of its mission.

For the sixth consecutive year, the jury awarding the National Marketing Congress prizes for brand-related presentations met at the headquarters of the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OPEM by its Spanish initials), to decide the winners of this prize, awarded jointly by the Leading Brands of Spain Forum and OPEM. It acknowledges the best brand-related presentations to be given this year at the 22nd National Marketing Congress, held annually by the Spanish Marketing Association (AEMARK).

Since Expo Shanghai 2010 opened on 1 May, the success of the Spain Brands showroom/shop in the Spanish Pavilion can be rated very positively. The public is responding with excitement and enthusiasm to its offer of quality and prestige under the management of the Leading Brands of Spain Association (AMRE), featuring the participation of 17 leading brands: Mango, Tous, Torres, Natura Bissé, Lladró, Carrera y Carrera, Pikolinos, Panama Jack, Scalextric, Barbadillo, Freixenet, El Caballo, Pastas Gallo, Carbonell, La Española, Adolfo Domínguez and Estrella Galicia.

As part of the Shanghai Expo 2010, on 1 September, the Leading Brands of Spain Forum will organise the Day of the Leading Brands of Spain in China. This event aims to promote the Spanish business community through the participation of leading prestigious Spanish brands. The event will be held in the Spain Pavilion and will provisionally be attended by Pau Gasol, as Honorary Ambassador of the Spain Brand. During the day, individuals or institutions that have greatly assisted Spanish brands to penetrate and consolidate in the Chinese market will be named as ´Friends of the Spain Brand in China’, a public recognition for these efforts. These awards will be decided by a panel of judges specially convened for this purpose and will be organised into different categories.

José Luis Bonet, chairman of the Leading Brands of Spain Forum, defended in the Leading Brands of the EU Meeting, held on 22nd April under the framework of the Spanish Presidency, the creation of a strategic alliance among the leading European brands, a kind of Leading Brands of Europe Forum.  Bonet explained that "Spanish brands share common interests and problems with other European brands, mainly problems regarding competition with brands from other countries such as America and Japan, and, recently, from emerging countries as well.

The Spanish Agency for International Exhibitions (SEEI), who organised the Spanish Pavilion in Shanghai Expo 2010 and the Leading Brands of Spain Association (AMRE) presented the showroom/store with prestigious Spanish brands that will be opened in Spanish Pavilion of Shanghai Expo 2010. In total, 15 leading Spanish brands will be involved in this project, helping to promote the image of Spain in a strategic setting such as China.

On 18th March, 2010 the Leading Brands of Spain Association (AMRE) held its Annual General Assembly, which this year took place in the MAPFRE Foundation headquarters in Madrid.
During the Assembly, the Chairman of AMRE, José Louis Bonet, accompanied by Vice-Chairman, Antonio Abril, Managing Director, Miguel Otero, and Luis de Javier, who acted as Secretary in the absence of Francisco Vallés, summarised the projects and activities carried out during 2009 for the members, and presented the balance sheet and income statement as of December 31, 2009.

On 18th February, the Leading Brands of Spain Association (AMRE) held a seminar on 'Consumering: brand as a differentiating factor in times of crisis', in conjunction with ESIC Business and Marketing School and the BBDO Consulting,  in the cycle of conferences focusing on strategic issues for senior management, which are being organised between these three institutions.

Within the framework of the Spanish Presidency of the European Union, the Leading Brands of Spain Forum has organised a Leading Brands of the EU Meeting, in collaboration with La Caixa and IESE Business School along with the support of the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. The aim of the Meeting, which will take place on 22 April at the headquarters of La Caixa, in Barcelona, is to present an initiative so that Spain can promote a policy of competitiveness for European brands and for the backing of the international image of the products and services, namely, the ‘Made in/by EU’ image.

The Leading Brands of Spain Association, the Spanish Council of Chambers of Commerce and the Spanish Exporters and Investors Club formally constituted the Business Committee for Internationalisation on 13 January. This entity was designed to be a permanent platform for the analysis and elaboration of ideas to reinforce the internationalisation and competitiveness of Spanish companies. These ideas will be presented to the Government and to the other public Administrations so that they may be taken into consideration in the formulation of new public policies and strategies in these fields.

The Minister of Industry, Tourism and Commerce, Miguel Sebastián, presided over the 10th Anniversary of the Leading Brands of Spain Forum commemorative event where he emphasised the government’s commitment, through its relevant bodies, to the leading Spanish brands and the part they have to play in conveying an image of Spain’s quality and prestige overseas. The minister also announced his ministry’s support for the project to enhance the competitiveness of Spanish brands and for the Leading Brands of the EU Meeting, which the Leading Brands of Spain Forum will organise next year in Barcelona with the support of La Caixa and IESE and coinciding with the Spanish Presidency of the EU.

On 26 November, the headquarters of the Spanish Professional Football League was the scene of a meeting of the Ambassador Brand and Image of Spain committee, the organisation founded to develop the Ambassador Brand Plan presented by the Leading Brands of Spain Association in 2008. This committee is chaired by Antonio Abril, Deputy Chairman of the Leading Brands of Spain Forum and Member and Secretary of the Board of Directors of Inditex, with the deputy chairmanship held by Jaime Montalvo, Managing Director for Promotion at the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade. It comprises company representatives, relevant government bodies and experts in the fields of brands and international promotion.

On 6 November at the Interbrand head offices, the Leading Brands of Spain Association (AMRE) organised a round table on “European brands and the EU, legal protection and combating piracy”. The event was supported by the Secretary of State for the EU and sponsored by Garrigues and Interbrand. The debate was moderated by Soledad Rodríguez, Managing Director of the Brand Defense Association (ANDEMA).

The Leading Brands of Spain Association (AMRE) in conjunction with its partner the ESIC Business & Marketing School and the consultancy firm BBDO, has launched a cycle of lectures on senior management. These lectures are focused on strategic issues for companies related to brands, marketing, branding and communication in order to allow companies to explore and improve their management.

On 6 November, The Leading Brands of Spain Association (AMRE) took part in the annual gala of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Australia, held at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney. During the event a video was screened titled ‘The Spanish ambassador brands in Australia', showing images of the major Spanish brands with a presence in the Australian market. The presentation demonstrated the prestige and excellence of Spanish products and services that clearly help to generate a positive image of Spain’s economy in the eyes of the Australian public. Over 250 people attended the event, including prominent figures from business and civil society in Australia.

On 22 October at the Garrigues head offices in Madrid, the Leading Brands of Spain Forum (FMRE) and the financial newspaper Expansion held a debate on whether to pursue a policy of competitiveness for European brands in the first half of 2010 to coincide with the Spanish Presidency of the EU. The meeting was organised with the support of the Secretary of State of the EU and attended by Antonio Garrigues and by the Secretary of State Diego López Garrido.

On 11 November, the Leading Brands of Spain Association (AMRE) held a luncheon in honour of Josep Piqué, former Minister of Industry and Foreign Affairs, now Chairman of Vueling, in order to acknowledge his work at the ministry in promoting the creation of the Leading Brands of Spain Forum (FMRE). During his time at the ministry, more specifically in 1999, Mr Piqué signed the agreement between the Ministry of Industry and the 17 founding companies of the association. Thus a strategic collaboration agreement was initiated between the government and Spanish leading brand companies in order to promote internationalisation, the brand as a key strategic asset, the competitiveness of the Spanish economy and the image of Spain abroad.

The Leading Brands of Spain Association (AMRE) assisted in the organisation of the first “Brand Customer Loyalty Engagement Index”, which was presented in Madrid on 3 November. This index was designed by Dr Robert Passikoff (President of the US consultancy firm Brand Keys) and is published every year in the US. The index deeply analyses the positioning of each brand, looks at customer purchase motivations within each product category and compares the different brands within those categories. The ultimate goal is to increase empathy with existing customers and to attract new ones, thus improving the competitive capacity of brands.

The Leading Brands of Spain Association (AMRE) was one of the co-organisers of the First Summit on Internationalisation held on 20 October at the head offices of Mutua Madrileña in Madrid. During the summit, internationalisation was proposed as a vehicle to promote competitiveness in the Spanish economy in order to help companies to overcome the crisis.

On 18 September, Miguel Otero, the Managing Director of the Leading Brands of Spain Forum (FMRE) presented diplomas to the research teams named as the winners of the 5th Leading Brands of Spain Forum Awards for Brands: international management and standing.

The Leading Brands of Spain Forum participated with a stand, together with other Spanish companies and institutions, in the 2009 CISMEF fair, which was held in Guangzhou between 22 and 25 September with Spain as a special guest country. Over these days, the Forum promoted the recognition of Spanish brands and the image of our country in China.

The Leading Brands of Spain Association’s Board of Directors met in Madrid on 16 September and approved the admission of Gómez Acebo & Pombo Abogados into the Association, bringing the total number of members to 97.

Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Asturias presided over the Accreditation ceremony for the third year of Spain Brand Honorary Ambassadors, a recognition the Leading Brands of Spain Forum (FMRE) gives to individuals or institutions whose work contributes to creating a positive image of Spain abroad, which was held at the Repsol Technology Centre in Móstoles (Madrid) on 25 June.

For another year, the Leading Brands of Spain Forum collaborated with the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX) in the organisation of the Exporta exhibition, held in Zaragoza on 17 and 18 June, with a round table discussion titled Brand strategy, key during the crisis, which featured the participation of representatives from Neck & Neck, Barbadillo and Interbrand, and which was moderated by the Promotion Managing Director of ICEX, Jaime Montalvo. 

The Chairman of the Leading Brands of Spain Forum, José Luis Bonet, took part in the conference titled “Cities and Global Events”, organised by Unidad Editorial and held in Madrid on 23 June. The event brought together representatives of different Spanish cities and the Italian city of Milan with journalists, experts and representatives of brands including the chairmen of our members Atlético de Madrid, Enrique Cerezo; Garrigues, Antonio Garrigues; and USP Hospitales, Gabriel Masfurroll.

The collaborators of the Leading Brands of Spain Association (AMRE) in the United States, Antonio Renilla and Pilar Camacho, visited the Spanish Navy training ship, Juan Sebastian Elcano – appointed Spain Brand Honorary Ambassador – during its recent visit to the port of Galveston (Texas).

The Vice-Chairman of the Leading Brands of Spain Association (AMRE), Antonio Abril, took part on 27 April in the conference “Global Brand Vision for New Times” jointly organised by Interbrand and AMRE, in the head office conference centre of our partner Uría Menéndez in Madrid. The main attraction at the conference was the presence of the Chief Executive Officer of the Interbrand Group, Jez Frampton.

AMRE played an active role in the “Today is Marketing” seminar, held at the IFEMA Exhibition Centre in Madrid on 28 April. Speaking at the event, which was organised by our partner ESIC, was the Vice-Chairman of the Forum and the CEO-General Councel of Inditex, Antonio Abril, along with a large number of representatives from brands belonging to AMRE.

Bodegas Barbadillo, a member of the Leading Brands of Spain Association (AMRE) since last autumn, held an event on 2 April to publicly mark its entry into the Association where the Director of Institutional Relations of the Association, Eva Barrionuevo, presented Barbadillo Managing Director, Manuel Valdecantos, with a commemorative diploma.

General Manager of the Leading Brands of Spain Forum Miguel Otero took part in the opening day of the 5th Wine Marketing Forum, held in Logroño on 26 March. His presentation, titled “Market value, brand value”, highlighted the importance of the brand as a strategic asset for a company.
“Brand value is going to be a clear stabilising factor for a company's value through gaining customer loyalty,” Mr Otero stated in his speech.

Fifty representatives of companies belonging to the Leading Brands of Spain Association were received by His Majesty the King of Spain on 23 March in a private audience at the Zarzuela Palace that took place after the Ordinary General Meeting was held in Madrid, in which the accounts and programme for 2009 were approved.

The Leading Brands of Spain Association (AMRE) held the Spanish Ambassador Brands in the United States Dinner in New York's Grand Hyatt Hotel on 16 March. The event was part of the presentation of the Made in/by Spain Plan in the United States with the honourable presence of Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Asturias and the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Trade Miguel Sebastián.

The Board of Directors of the Leading Brands of Spain Association meeting on 11 March in Madrid approved the admission of the Tous and ESIC companies into the Association, bringing the total number of members to 96.

In 2009, the Leading Brands of Spain Forum will celebrate its tenth anniversary by promoting the image of Spain and its brands abroad.

The Leading Brand of Spain Association’s Board of Directors met in Madrid at the start of December and approved the admission of five new members: Andreu World, Caramelo, Festina Lotus, Fermax and Talgo.

On 27 November, Rubén Marcos (Director of Research of the Leading Brands of Spain) took part in the International Marketing Day organised by the Jaume I University of Castellón. The International Marketing Day was held in the city’s port authority headquarters, during which Mr Marcos made a presentation entitled, The power of the brand in the current climate: the importance of brand policy and the need for internationalisation.

The Leading Brands of Spain Forum, along with the Asociación de Empresarios de Publicidad de Sevilla (Association of Advertising Professionals in Seville), the ESIC Business and Marketing School and the Asociación para el Progreso de la Dirección (Association for the Management Development) organised the “How to build leading brands” symposium that was held in the Central NH Hotel in Seville and was attended by several Forum companies.

Representatives from the Leading Brands of Spain Forum and several of its members participated in the conference “Brands and Products: Their commercial and institutional value” that was jointly organised by El Nuevo Lunes and Altadis in Madrid on 12 November.

On 30 November, the fourth Foreign Correspondents Meeting was held in the Madrid headquarters of the IE Business School. It was organised by the Leading Brands of Spain Forum, the IE Business School, the news agency Vnews, the Círculo de Corresponsales (Correspondents Circle) and the Asociación de Corresponsales de Prensa Extranjera (Association of Foreign Press Correspondents, ACPE).

The General Manager of the Leading Brands of Spain Forum, Miguel Otero, attended the AEMARK association’s Spanish Marketing Academic Conference , held in Las Palmas on 19 September. In the act he presented the diplomas to the winners of the fourth edition of the Branding Research Awards. These awards are jointly run by the Forum and the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (SPTO).

The Leading Brands of Spain Forum – an institution made up of the leading brands in Spain with an international presence and public agencies with an interest in international trade and the nation brand – today asked Spanish Ambassadors to collaborate strategically in promoting the international image of Spain.

On 8 July, the Leading Brands of Spain Forum was presented to the Autonomous Community of Aragon – an event that has already taken place in some other Autonomous Communities. In the region of 300 Aragonese businessmen and women attended the act that took place in Zaragoza and was organised jointly by the Aragonese Development Agency, the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade and Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade.

Last Wednesday 16 July, Rubén Marcos, Director of Research of the Leading Brands of Spain Forum, participated in the summer e-Branding course organised by the University of Extremadura and held in Badajoz. He presented a paper entitled Nation Brands: Communicating and Reaping Returns on our Identity. The presentation contemplated nation brand building and emphasised the role of the big Spanish brands as ambassadors of Spain’s image abroad.

The Leading Brands of Spain Forum, together with the Complutense University of Madrid, the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX), INTERES, and the Spanish Exporters and Investors Club, organised the summer course entitled Nation Branding, a Key Element for Corporate Globalisation, which took place in San Lorenzo del Escorial (Madrid) between 9 and 11 July.

On 4 July, Miguel Otero, the General Manager of the Leading Brands of Spain Forum, together with nation branding experts from around the world, participated in the international seminar Construction and Projection of Nation Branding, a Case Study Comparison. The seminar was held in Santiago (Chile) and opened by the President of the Republic of Chile, Michelle Bachelet.

The Leading Brands of Spain Forum was invited to participate in the Place Branding conference, held in Lisbon on 17 June. Other attendees included several branding academics and experts. The conference was organised by the Brandia Central professional services company.

The Leading Brands of Spain Forum actively participated in the sixth edition of the IMEX trade fair, organised by the company Impulso Exterior (publisher of the Moneda Única magazine), and held at the IFEMA Exhibition Centre (Madrid) on 11 and 12 June.

The Leading Brands of Spain Forum took park in the recent Exporta 2008 conference with a seminar entitled Brands and Innovation Processes in Global Markets, focusing on the contribution of Spanish brands to innovation. The conference was organised by the Spanish Foreign Trade Institute (ICEX) and PromoMadrid and held on 4 June.

The Leading Brands of Spain Forum presented its Ambassador Brand and Spain’s Image Plan today at the Santander Financial City. The objective of the plan is to help improve Spain’s competitiveness by leveraging the international leadership of Spanish brands, thus improving global perceptions of the country’s commercial image or ‘Made by Spain’.

The Leading Brands of Spain Forum was one of the organisers of the “Role of sport in place branding” conference, which was held in Madrid on May 13th. Place branding experts, businesspeople and sports clubs alike stressed the importance of successful athletes and sports entities in enhancing their respective countries’ images abroad.

On April 29th, the Leading Brands of Spain Forum organised the “Why Spanish brands need the Chinese market” conference in conjunction with the EOI – Industrial Organization School. This was a continuation of the presentation given by the leading brands of Spain in Beijing and Shanghai last January.

The Leading Brands of Spain Forum, "Madrid Global" - the office of strategy and international action of Madrid- and the IE Business School organised the First Seminar on the Strategic International Positioning of Madrid. The title “Madrid, an international benchmark for urban services and infrastructures” served as a starting point for a debate on the city’s capacity to achieve international leadership in the management of urban infrastructures and services.

It is a one-hundred-year-old, valued and well-known brand in Spain and abroad. The Atlético de Madrid Club has been carving out a well-deserved stature throughout its history and for many years this stamp of quality has been recognised by many institutions and organisations. Last December, the institution reaped the rewards of their work when the Leading Brands of Spain Forum unanimously approved that Atlético de Madrid Club join this important institution.

The conferences on the Spanish Ambassador Brands in China, held in Beijing and Shanghai, on the 22^nd and 24^th January, were a resounding success. Several media companies and Chinese business leaders attended the conferences to gain first-hand knowledge of the experiences of the main Spanish brands in China. The conferences were held in the Instituto Cervantes in Beijing and in the Spanish Embassy Office for Economic Commercial Affairs in Shanghai.

The Forum took the opportunity of the Beijing and Shanghai conferences on the Spanish Ambassador Brands in China to show a multimedia presentation on the Leading Spanish Brands in China, which had been especially prepared for the occasion. This presentation was excellent promotion for leading Spanish brands already operating in China and was also a way for the Chinese market to learn about the strength of the Spanish brands and the quality of their products and services.

In January, the Leading Brands of Spain Forum (FMRE) was presented officially in the Autonomous Region of Andalusia.

On 21^st March took place the official presentation of the Spanish Ambassador Brand Plan to the Spanish Trade Administration, a project run by the Leading Brands of Spain Forum in collaboration with the Spanish Exporters and Investors Club. The event, attended by the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Trade, Joan Clos, was held in the new headquarters of the Spanish Academy of Arts and Cinematographic Sciences, and included the presentation of a DVD outlining the Spanish Ambassador Brand Plan.

In recent years, and in line with what has happened in other countries around us, in Spain there has been a tertiarisation in the production pattern. Today Spain is a country with a significant services sector and, for this reason, the majority of Spanish overseas trade and exports take place in this sector. Consequently, the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX) dedicated Exporta 2007 (the “Congress for the Business Internationalisation”), held in Seville on 13th and 14th June, to the “Internationalisation Strategies and Opportunities in the Service Sector”.

The Leading Brands of Spain Forum held a presentation of the Leading Brands of Spain to coincide with the World Exposition Aichi 2005, and in particular with the Spanish week in the last week of July.