In college I already read it in my marketing classes, the great Luis Bassat, and his red book on brands. Because brand equity is not something new to the pandemic, without a doubt, it is something that, if it is not available, we will hardly be able to survive in the market. And the Spanish gourmet brands, unfortunately, are very little known.
I must admit that since I can remember, and I can assure you that I should go back not much beyond when I was 11 or 12 years old, I have succumbed to brands. They certainly gave me that false assurance that either it was that brand, or I did not want any other similar product from another brand. As i said Luis Bassat "Products are made in factories, but brands are created and live in the mind." And that appointment is not even painted with Spanish gourmet products.
Why? Well, because the biggest rejection argument that I take in MadeinSpain.store not to work with us is because many producers do not understand that the investment in the brand is above the sales required in the short term. Yes, yes, ahead. And of course, when you argue that to them, you have practically lost working with them. Because sales come first, always in our country, in the short term of course, and creating brand value, an action that is slower and carried out in the medium and long term, makes it not very attractive for producers. as a priority.
Badly accustomed
The data of this past year of the tourists who came to Spain have set off all the alarms. We have gone back to the year 1964, almost 60 years ago !!!! We could say that, even with Franco, we had better numbers than now. All the work that we did not have to do, because the demand was internal, (make no mistake, it was external because those who demanded were tourists coming to Spain), to sell our products, now that takes its toll on us.
We have not done our homework, we have not treated our brands as people, as other countries around us have done, and therefore our brands have not crossed the borders to the rest of the world. Because "If we really want to understand what a brand is, we must begin by asking ourselves what meaning the product has in the consumer's life. " Bassat asserted. But, apart from having a good time in our country and having a summer idyll with the good foreigner who knew our Spanish gourmet products, later, he forgot about us and our products, until he returned to Spain again. And now we don't even talk about the brands associated with those products.
Know the brand: essential for them to know you
No Awareness, does not exist
I am usually quite harsh in my advice to my partners, because it is better to receive pain from the friendly side than poison without knowing where it comes from, from the enemy side. And I am very sincere: "If you are not known, you do not exist" Simple as that. And that's when the regrets come. Because you want to do quickly and badly, what has not been planned in 10-20 years ... or even more. Not! First you have to look in the mirror, and recognize yourself before it. I admit that a first glance can horrify us, because normally we hide things from ourselves that we do not like, but when there is someone who forces you to see your shame, until you recognize them, that is when you realize that you are lost, and that There is so much to do.
You have to do a very demanding audit to see how the company is prepared for 2021. And before we want to go out into the international market to try to sell, we must first see if we are ready for it.
The web, the cornerstone of our company
If we want to improve our brand positioning, it will not only be worth make a digital marketing plan (SEO and SEM) to obtain results, that way you will burn the money and you will be in the same place as at the beginning.
We must know the client we want to persuade, and if we do not speak to him in his own language, he will ignore us and we will lose him forever.
If I say "EVOO", "ACORN HAM" or "MANCHEGO RESERVA CHEESE", to name products that are the flagship of our gastronomy, how many brands of each product category would come to mind for a potential European customer? I give the answer 0 or none.
Until that is resolved, selling on our part, basing the sale on the prestige of the brand will not do. Therefore you have to work really hard on brand equity, its history, its tradition, its production processes, its singularities, its packaging, the people who make up the company ... all this must be transmitted on the web, and in a smart communication plan, that we reach out to people who can get excited about our products. I work hard, but no one told us it would be quick and easy.
Our website is the key to reaching further and to more people, but have you already optimized it and loaded with enough content to go further?
Only if you have the information perfectly audited, positioned with keywords and well created, you can improve the conversion, and only if you have the audience, the customers, perfectly worked (email marketing plan, take maximum care of it to optimize loyalty) , that's when the company is ready to invest in ads on Facebook and Google to grow. But before the first two steps, it's just throwing your money away. And I can say it from my own experience.
Therefore, before thinking about internationalization, ask yourself, Spanish producers, if you have the company prepared for it. And I mean the value of the brand not the search for distributors. Because true growth comes when the brand is desired by the consumer, it is known and has the authority to retain the end customer forever.
Because "Brands are like cathedrals, they are built over the years, by different people, from different generations, but with a common goal, brand recognition."
If you want to succeed abroad, create your brand well, adapt it to the times, and offer something that makes you unique so that the market wants your products. That is the first step, the following, working very hard and always believing in yourself.
AUTHOR: Israel Romero, CEO of Made in Spain Gourmet.
