Analysis

“It would be hard to find someone who would argue that Spain 's branding efforts were not the key to its modern transformation. Yes, it had a long and rich history and fabulous tourist destinations, but without 'collecting' them under a unifying and heavily promoted brand, the development of the tourism industry, and with it the nation as a whole, could not have been achieved.” - Thomas Cromwell. The Concept and Benefits of Nation Branding

Spain’s nation branding campaign provided the country with a new identity and a fresh start. Understanding the need to establish the new face of their country, Spain underwent a major review to figure out what could be sold to the international market and cause increased interest in investing in the new Spain.

The first goal of the campaign was to create the product that would be sold to the international community. The campaign wanted to make Spain into a chic vacation spot but also wanted to focus on the idea that Spain had more than beaches to offer the public. Using a sun symbol created by Joan Miro the campaign developed its basic message that the country of Spain was the premiere location for “Everything Under the Sun.”

The price of the campaign was significant. The campaign cost the country millions in brand placement, infrastructure changes, and promotion. On top of the campaign costs, the program cost also included the time it took to sell the idea to the Spanish people. Specialists in nation branding often say that the costs it takes to sell the people on the idea of branding is often the most and the hardest portion of the job. Amit Singh wrote on the topic of branding and says that “apart from being informed they [natives] have to be the firm believers of [the campaign] and must develop a ‘sense of confidence’ in the whole practice.”

In the case of nation branding, Spain ’s case study is excellent because it shows through obvious metrics and solid branding strategy that a country’s brand can help them modernize. Within years of the start of the campaign the country increased to the second most popular tourist destination in the world. The Barcelona Olympics, which helped to reinforce the Spanish brand and increase tourism created a platform to boost the development of the economic infrastructure of the region as well. Most significant however, is the fact that today, Spain is a part of the European Union and is economically strong enough to be a part of the Euro Zone.

Nation branding is a continuous process for Spain . To remain a stylish destination and continue to grow economically, Spain must continue to live up to its global expectation. Beginning in 2003 another campaign began building off the initial “Everything Under the Sun” branding campaign. The project which is still working, is attempting to bridge the gap between Spain ’s now famous brand and the need for famous commercial brands to move into the market.

Kyriacou, Savas and Thomas Cromwell. The Concept and Benefits of nation branding. http://www.diplomatictraffic.com/nation_branding.asp?ID=1

Singh, Amit Nation as a Brand. Internet. December 2004. Advertising Express. www.allaboutbranding.com

Travel and Tourism in Spain . EuroMonitor. Mar 2004. http://www.euromonitor.com/Travel_and_Tourism_in_Spain

De Vicente, Jorge. State Branding in the 21 st Century. Tufts University . http://fletcher.tufts.edu/research/2004/DeVicente-Jorge.pdf

Spain used its new symbol and campaign slogan as a starting point to promote and place their product on the international radar. However, it was through the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, that the country was fully able to export the new brand of what Spain had to offer to the world. Barcelona ’s waterfront was redesigned to combine the art and culture of the area with the economic offering of a modern European Seaport. The mix of modern art like Dalí and Miro with the traditional Spanish icons like La Sagrada Familia made Barcelona a perfect icon to promote the idea of mixing the old with the new. Additionally, the use of the Olympics helped to further promote this idea. Contrasting the ancient tradition of the Olympics housed from the shores of the Mediterranean with the modern flair of skyscrapers and a marina of yachts promoted a new chic image of what Spain was for the entire world.