Stereotypes and Country Branding. Why Spain´s brand is different.

Perception is the first clue we get on a country brand. It makes us shape in our minds what that place must be. Unconsciously we have our first opinion on it, and it will be backed or modified by other information we will received, be in a way or another, about the place.

This is the reason of thinking of some places and their people through stereotypes. We once got some information, processed it in any way, and no other has come to change it. Stereotypes are not always bad news for a country. They can even help when reality has become so bad appearing that keeping people minds in pre-conceived concepts can make us gain time to recover a competitive identity (a branding definition by Simon Anholt).

Although today´s media absolute coverage and 2.0 channels echo constantly launching what happens wherever, there are places enjoying the benefits of what they supposed to be. We can clearly see the fact that many places have two main different concepts set in Public Opinion mind. Even three, as the singular case of Spain has. And, although complex reflections, it is checkable in such simple way as one´s own mind. If we asked people around the world about the image they have of Spain, we would  probably get three different answers: the stereotyped one, represented by words as matador and flamenco; the admired one, talking about the political and economic impressive change Spain enjoyed and a last one, remarking the deep economic and social crisis she is in.

At this point, surely would feel a lot alleviated being said to be a land of matadors, flamenco and fiesta. No deeper thoughts to damage, by instance, her so needed touristic flows. Spain has always complaint for being considered a mere services country. Her people made a tremendous effort for years to balance that with a stronger industrial sector that attracted direct foreign investments, among other targets. Today, without surfing in the Spanish economic and social reality, we can conclude that the identity of Spain has kept its competitiveness in certain sense. Let´s make a simple mental exercise: Have you recently thought of spending your holidays in Greece? Have you thought to do it in Spain? What a brand means is also what it provokes. And right now, I am sure Spanish do not mind at all being named as the land of bullfighting, flamenco or fiestas. The thing is a solid conviction.

makes tourists come and come back to Spain every year in a number today surpassing 54 million. This side of Spanish brand has not been damaged, as it keeps ranking at the top of world touristic destinies.

Place Branding and Strategic Communication

To communicate strategically means to understand the strong power of words, images and actions, and to align them rigorously. A country, institution or person will build his reputation depending on the way he manages them, be consciously or not.

The reputation or brand of a country is one of her most valuable assets, and so it is for every single city, person, organization or sports club. We are what we communicate. What do we want to be?

Place Branding is a new discipline many countries and cities are now listening to. There are many circumstances that have created the need of an own brand for countries, cities and places whose identity problems are pushing down their development. They have a lack of identity outwards or, even, a bad reputation that is a huge difficulty for their economic grow.

To generate a place brand goes beyond touristic slogans and also beyond promoting the “made in”. Place Branding puts together, in a single discipline, the global communication of a place, and it is a must it succeeds extracting the real essence of it and communicates it in a strategic way.

What does strategy mean in Communications? To select adequate tools and to use them with coordination in time, according to a plan, well designed and structured, that boosts the effectiveness of each of them and generates an authentic coral exercise of communication.

Place Branding must generate sensations that attract general interest to a country. It must appeal to emotions at the time of shaping the reputation of a country: if we aim to attract investments, we must communicate rigorousness, transparency and profitability. If we want to increase touristic flows, we must transmit suggesting images, different destinies, singular experiences. If what we want is to export products, we will communicate any sensation that talk about their qualities. But Place Branding will aim a global result: global sensations that make people trust our country in all those aspects. It’s obvious that not all brands can sell tourism, export cars, attract direct investments. But it is a prestigious country brand that will open a window to all that. Is Germany a touristic country? Obviously, not. But the good reputation Germany has and communicates allows her global reputation to be solid in any sense. As Simon Anholt has brilliantly remarked, creating a country brand is generating a competitive identity.