ICEX and the Leading Brands of Spain Forum (FMRE) have agreed to intensify the collaboration between them by working together on the latest edition of the “Support Plan for Spanish Brands”. Both the agreement and the plan were presented publicly on 13th June, coinciding with the Exporta 2007 congress in Seville. Pedro Moriyón, Managing Director of Promotion at the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX) and Miguel Otero, General Manager of the Leading Brands of Spain Forum were in charge of announcing an agreement under which AMRE will work with ICEX on the advice, promotion and evolution of these plans; and which could also result in possible reforms and improvements in the future.
For this purpose the Leading Brands of Spain Association will work with a group of professional experts in international marketing forming a “knowledge sharing unit”, the role of which is none other than to transfer experience from leading Spanish brands to other brands. Both Pedro Moriyón and Miguel Otero underlined the importance of this new collaboration between the two institutions and the advantages which it will bring for the improvement and consolidation of the Brand Plan.
In order to bring the Brand Plan closer to different companies all over Spain, ICEX and the Leading Brands of Spain Association have drawn up a schedule for presenting the Plan in different Spanish towns and cities. Both institutions were present in Valencia on 27th June, in Bilbao on 6th July and in Barcelona on 10th July. Presentations were planned for the Plan in Vigo on 17th July and in Madrid on 19th July. Key Spanish brands also took part in the presentation of the Plan, explaining to the audience their brand internationalisation strategies and experiences. Antonio Vicente, Chairman of Panama Jack, joined AMRE in Valencia, Javier Cáceres, Innovation and Institutional Development Director for Ikusi, was present in Bilbao, and Anna Jante, Exports Director for Basi, explained her company’s international strategy in Barcelona. Two brands from Galicia, Televés and Rodman, described their international brand experiences in front of a full house at the Club Financiero Vigo, while Jesús Salazar, Chairman of SOS-Cuétara, and Ricardo Fraguas, General Manager of Mirto, did the same at the Centre for Economic and Comercial Studies (CECO) in Madrid.
The Support Plan for Spanish Brands has two main objectives:
To facilitate the development and internationalisation of Spanish brands by companies, mainly small and medium-size enterprises, through support in the initial phase of the relevant promotional projects.
It is a business programme open to all business sectors which with their image, design, creativity quality or individuality contribute to the promotion of the image of Spanish brands overseas.
This is the first year that the Leading Brands of Spain Association is working on the promotion and advice of the Support Plan for Spanish Brands, which was set up for the first time in 2003.
The main novelties of this year’s Plan include the increase by ICEX in percentages of grants for expenses, which have been raised overall up to 30%, and up to 35% in the case of countries considered as a priority by the Secretary of State for Trade (China, India, Russia, the US, Mexico, Japan, Brazil, Morocco, Algeria, Turkey, and Korea). Meanwhile, the maximum annual grant per company is reduced to €66,000.
Furthermore, the minimum expenses necessary per year as supported by the plan has been dropped to €30,000 (advertising, communication, promotion, commercial sponsorship, promotional material and patent and brand name registering).
