Apparel dominates as fast fashion powers six brands into the ranking
Spanish consumers demand more as they seek bold, differentiated brands
Zara has been named as the most valuable brand in Spain in the first BrandZ™ Top 30 Most Valuable Spanish Brands ranking and report from WPP and Kantar Millward Brown, published today.
Zara leads the inaugural ranking at $25.1bn thanks to its revolutionary ‘fast fashion’ approach to retailing across more than 2,200 stores in 93 markets. Its design savvy combined with innovative supply chain and logistics enable it to develop and launch new collections in days and weeks, rather than months as is the industry norm.
Movistar, with a value of $22bn, is the second most valuable brand. Movistar is Spain’s mobile market leader as well as offering fixed-line broadband and telephony. It has more than 22m customers in its home market and since 2015 it has also been a major player in the increasingly competitive pay-TV arena. Movistar+ is now taking on the likes of HBO and Netflix with production of its own original series, with 14 shows due to launch in the next two years.
Rounding out the Top 5 are Santander ($8.8bn), BBVA ($7.9bn) and Iberdrola ($5.3bn). The total value of the brands in the ranking is $103.1bn.
The ability of any brand to power business growth relies on how it is perceived by customers. As the only brand valuation ranking grounded in consumer opinion, BrandZ’s analysis allows Spanish brands to pinpoint where they need greater differentiation as well as providing clear guidance on how to solve those challenges. Businesses worldwide trust BrandZ’s best-in-class methodology to provide them with the information they need to measure, manage and protect their most important intangible asset – their brand.
David Roth, CEO EMEA and Asia, The Store WPP, says: “The first BrandZ ranking for Spain highlights how Spanish consumers have become increasingly sophisticated and are now demanding more of brands. To succeed, Spanish brands must be bold and courageous, break barriers, and work on differentiating themselves, which will help them offer the value consumers demand.”
That dynamic approach is best demonstrated by the Apparel sector, which has six entries in the Top 30. Alongside Zara there is also Massimo Dutti ($2.8bn), Stradivarius ($2.1bn), Bershka ($1.9bn), Pull&Bear ($1.7bn) – all owned by parent company Inditex – and Mango ($1.2bn). Zara is also ranked No 34 in the 2017 BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands ranking.
Spain is the fourth-largest producer of textiles in the world and these brands have thrived off the back of a business model that combines high-performing retail with successful e-commerce. Brand owner Inditex has developed a highly successful marketing model that combines constantly updated store windows in high-profile retail locations to generate word-of-mouth with high quality films on YouTube.
In their home market, these, and other brands in the Top 30, are meeting the needs of Spanish consumers, who have become increasingly sophisticated and selective. To succeed, brands need to demonstrate their ability to offer more, whether that’s in terms of service, social benefits or value. Pure value brands doing well, for example, include the likes of Mercadona ($1.9bn) and Dia ($763 million), which offer affordable quality from unbranded or own-brand products.
Connecting with these more demanding consumers requires all brands to reach out via digital and social media. The most successful brands are telling stories that resonate with people’s lives. Such efforts are essential because businesses that nurture their brands are more than 4.5 times more valuable than those that don’t.
Other trends highlighted in this year’s BrandZ Spain Top 30 report include:
• Strong on entertainment. Three TV channels have been named among the 30 most valuable brands in the country; Telecinco ($607m), Antena3 ($386m) and Cuatro ($296m). Despite the alternative entertainment options now on offer via digital, a mix of popular culture and sport programming has ensured traditional television audiences remain largely unaffected.
• Age isn’t an issue. Some of the strongest brands in Spain are over a century old but manage to stay relevant because they are agile. Long-established brands, such as BBVA which is more than 160 years old, have earned consumer trust but also changed their offer to stay in line with what consumers need, in BBVA’s case by promoting digital banking and its work with tech entrepreneurs.
• Rural consumers demanding higher quality. The internet is giving Spain’s non-urban consumers access to far greater choice, driving up expectations. Amazon’s fast delivery times are setting the standard for service and this group is demanding the same speedy service and competitive pricing in-store as they would receive in the city. Booming e-commerce is also enabling brands with limited presence in physical retail outlets to rapidly expand their footprint.
• Powerful brands come from a range of sectors. Spain’s Top 30 includes brands from 11 product and service categories: Apparel, Telecommunications, Banks, Energy, Oil & Gas, Retail, Insurance, Beer, Entertainment, Airlines and Cars.
Martin Wohlfart, BrandZ Spain Project Manager, Kantar Millward Brown, comments: “Spanish brands that can’t compete in pure value terms need to emphasise the premium value they provide, be it service or quality. The economic crisis combined with the rise of e-commerce has created an enduring opening for value brands not just in urban areas but also among Spain’s rural population too, who are now able to access the same broad range of goods and services as their urban counterparts.”