REPUTATION OF SPANISH FOOD SECTOR

This is in line with the growing weight of the food sector in the Spanish economy. Not surprisingly, the Spanish food and beverage industry ended the year 2013 with a turnover reached 91.903 million euros in net product sales in the sector, representing a nominal growth of 1.9% over last year 2012.

With these data, the national food industry maintains its position as the industrial sector of the Spanish economy which allows you to play a key role in the process of economic recovery and become the main national economic engine. Furthermore, to achieve this goal, was born a few months ago the Strategic Framework for Food and Beverage Industry, committed to sustainable growth in the next six years as well as the revitalization of the sector. 2013 was a very difficult year, with great difficulty maintaining balance, but the sector has managed to strengthen its leadership position through employment (15,000 new jobs in the 2nd half of 2013) and the important opening to foreign markets (growth of 1.5% over 2012), continuing progress toward recovery from the path of growth slowed by the economic crisis.

In any event, relations sector companies with Spanish consumers have made a quantum leap in the perception of them. Thus, although the communication strategies have historically been very conservative, successive campaigns for enhancement of the sector to show society its importance in the national economy, its importance to improve the quality of life of consumers and interest for the environment, have managed to increase their importance in the consumer to position the sector as upper echelon.

However, what are the factors that determine the intangible that determines sectoral reputation? ... The consultants analyzed raise a number of pre-consumer testing as indicators reputational issues. These are:

• Sectorial generic assessment. Or the nested marking the various productive sectors (eg food and addition. Automotive, distribution, energy, telephony, etc.)
• The level of favorable reviews, the consumer has to the sector. Analyzing traditional media, social media influence, consumer organizations, etc..
• The trust placed in the sector for the long term temporal perspective. Believing mainly positive macro-economic variables that may favor development sector companies.
• The perception of economic success and financial sector. Mainly linked to the reputation of brands and marketers that are related to the phase of direct contact with the consumer.
• The assessment on products and services offered by the sector. Considering the various links in the value chain, depending on the types of products and services offered; obviously end consumer perception of an industry to develop industrial machinery processing tomato is not the same (ignorance), the company marketing the crushed tomatoes...

Finally, note the importance of Corporate Reputation Monitor Company (MERCO), assessment instrument since 2000 measures the reputation of companies and professional sectors, having become one of the reference monitors in the world. MERCO annually produces various rankings that measure reputation in various fields with great methodological rigo endorsed by the ISAE 3000. In the latest report of the Spanish companies on the 2014 national food companies experience significant increases, highlighting the brand Distribution Mercadona, for the third year in 2nd place of the ranking of national companies. Companies like Mahou San Miguel, Danone, Nestle, Grupo Damm and Campofrio also occupy very prominent positions, proving that the brand value remains important to the Spanish consumer. The study also shows that, overall, the food and beverage companies have better reputation among the population than in other sectors, the most relevant variables, the trajectory of the organization, quality and product innovation and services as well as their ethical behavior and their relationship with their employees.

+info:

• MERCO (Corporate Reputation Monitor Company): http://www.merco.info/es/countries/4-es