On 3 May, the Prince and Princess of Asturias presided over the fourth edition of the accreditation ceremony of Spain Brand Honorary Ambassadors, consisting of Rafael Nadal (Sports), Antonio Garrigues (Business Management), the Instituto Cervantes (Communication) Inma Shara (Culture), the Vicente Ferrer Foundation (Social Action), the Spanish national football team (extraordinary accreditation) and Santiago Calatrava (Science and Innovation), who was unable to attend the ceremony because of his schedule. The awards, granted by the Leading Brands of Spain Forum (FMRE), recognise the role of these individuals and institutions, in their respective activities, in giving prestige to and strengthening the international image of Spain. The ceremony, which took place at the Mapfre Convention Centre in Madrid, was opened by Luis de Larramendi, CEO of the entity and Vice-Chairman of Mapfre Vida.

Rafa Nadal, who spoke on behalf of the newly appointed Ambassadors, said “it is comforting to know that our work is appreciated abroad and also in Spain. Even recently, Spaniards have tended to overestimate everything that came from abroad and underestimate things that were home-grown. Fortunately, this trend is changing, and today no-one doubts that in Spain we have the capacity to do many things well and in many different spheres of activity. From my own speciality, which is sport, to the field of international brand management, Spain now has references that are world-class leaders in their respective categories.” Also, Nadal encouraged those present to persevere and “fight for every last point” to promote the Spain Brand.

Meanwhile, José Luis Bonet, Chairman of the Leading Brands of Spain Forum and Freixenet, said “Spanish brands have to be strong and internationally competitive. And that is why the international image of Spain is a top-priority competitive factor which is influenced not only by our leading brands with an international presence, but also by prestigious individuals in Spanish society, i.e. the Spain Brand Honorary Ambassadors that today we are honouring.”

Antonio Abril, Vice-Chairman of the Leading Brands of Spain Forum and General Secretary of Inditex, also spoke in his capacity as Head of the Panel of Judges that selected the Ambassadors in this fourth year. During his speech, he highlighted that “although the leadership of the promotion and the management of the Spain Brand lies with the competent government bodies, at the Leading Brands of Spain Forum we believe that the collaboration of the leading Spanish brands and prestigious and internationally renowned Spanish personalities is essential. Both – the leading brands and the Honorary Ambassadors – happily take on this collaboration, which is based on joining forces and the common pursuit of excellence in pursuit of an objective of general interest: that the image of Spain is a true factor in the competitiveness of our country, allowing us to sell more and better products and services abroad, to attract tourists and investment and to recruit talent.”

During the ceremony, the film 'Spain: one brand with many voices' was screened for the first time. In this film, testimonies are given by leading Spanish personalities, led by the Spain Brand Honorary Ambassadors of this and previous years, highlighting the positive attributes of Spain’s image and the need for further efforts and to work together to find a way out of the current economic situation.
The image of a country is now a competitive factor of the utmost importance, especially in the case of Spain, where the entire GDP growth expected for this year will come from the external sector. Thus, a strong and credible Spain Brand will contribute to the necessary internationalisation of Spanish companies and attract tourists and foreign investment. Faced with falling demand in the Spanish market, which accounts for  just 2% of the world market, international expansion is not only needed to improve the competitiveness of Spanish companies, but in some cases a necessity for their survival. In fact, the growth and profit of the majority of Spanish companies and leading brands today comes from abroad. The challenge is now not only to sell more, but better products and services, and to focus on differentiation, innovation and added value; in short, to sell the brand.

In this process the competent government bodies, key players from civil society, businesses and the leading brands must join forces. In the words of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Trinidad Jiménez, who also participated in the ceremony: "In a financially difficult time for Spain and a time marked by profound changes on the international scene, economic diplomacy is imperative to trigger the economic growth of our country. By exporting more, we will create jobs; by investing more, we will increase our growth rate; and by staying ahead of the world’s largest economies, we will make Spain politically stronger, more economically competitive and increase its presence in the world.”

The undersecretary at the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade, Amparo Fernández, said that “at this crucial moment, in which we are dealing with ambitious reforms for the future, it is important to achieve the planned results, projecting the ability of our businesses and the strength of our society and our culture abroad. The collaboration and agreement of all ‘stakeholders’ in the nation brand, if we can use this expression, are the key to the success of building the stronger international image that we strive to attain.”

The Prince of Asturias closed the ceremony with a speech highlighting the role of the new Spain Brand Honorary Ambassadors. He encouraged everyone – government bodies, businesses and ambassadors – to continue working and promoting the Spain brand image: “Spanish brands synthesise quality, innovation and internationalisation achieved by the work of all. Thus, the defence of the brands produced in our country and the impetus that so many sectors provide will promote the diffusion of goods and services offered by Spain to the four directions on the compass.”

Founded in 1999, the Leading Brands of Spain Forum is an organisation that forms part of the Leading Brands of Spain Association (comprising 100 leading Spanish companies with leading brands in their respective sectors), the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade, the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office. Its purpose is to foster the strategic importance of Spanish brands on all levels, particularly leading and well-known brands, for the development of competitiveness and the internationalisation of the Spanish economy. In short, it promotes the image of the Spain Brand overseas through the leading Spanish brands and with the support of government bodies. The Spain Brand Honorary Ambassadors accreditations have been granted since 2005 on a biennial basis.

Click here for a summary of the ceremony prepared by Vnews