What Perceptions Does the U.S. Public Have of Spain? The Answer May Be Surprising.

What do tennis player Rafael Nadal, chef Jose Andres, retail mogul Amancio Ortega, soccer league La Liga, and the famous pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela all have in common for Americans? Well, they are the Spanish brands most frequently mentioned in U.S. social media conversations when talking about Spain.

Sports, mainly soccer, have become one of the most iconic brands for Spain, which is why conversation levels around the Spanish soccer league championship reached 1.1 million mentions, driven by the main soccer matches. Furthermore, tennis player Rafael Nadal achieved levels as high as 3.3 million following his participation in the Grand Slam events of 2022.

According to the study, Spain's country brand is steadily gaining prominence in conversations in the American community. Beyond sports, which is the most present or leading topic in conversations in English, the Spanish brand is also associated with content such as art, digitalization, gastronomy, tourism, etc.; not to mention the interest of Americans in current topics such as health, the economy or Spanish politics.

The pilgrimage of Santiago de Compostela is a valued destination in the minds of the American public. The pilgrimage is popular with those seeking to reset goals and objectives for middle-aged Americans, regardless of religious affiliation.

Positive, Stable Sentiment toward the Spanish Brand

The study found that the U.S. public has had a stable level of confidence in Spain's national brand over the last five years. The love for Spain is higher in the States of California, Florida, Texas, and New York.

"The fact that the level of trust in Spain has been positive and stable over the last five years means we cannot slow down our work toward our goal of further consolidating the brand," shared Alejandro Romero, partner and Global CEO of LLYC. "We invite all Americans to visit Spain and enjoy its people, culture and food."

For the full detailed report please contact Sandra Ramos ([email protected]).

To learn more about the U.S. market, download LLYC's most recent annual U.S. Hispanic Report here:

https://understandingushispanics.com/us-hispanics-consumer-report-2022/

About LLYC

LLYC is a global communications, digital marketing, and public affairs consulting firm operating in 20 offices across 12 markets in the Americas and Europe, with affiliates throughout the rest of Latin America. The firm leverages office locations in Miami, New York, and Washington, D.C., a partnership with Finsbury Glover Hering, a unique connection to the U.S. and Hispanic communities, and extensive network in Latin America to help clients bring local, national, and multi-country projects to life.

About the "Perception of Spain in the USA" study

This one-of-a-kind study was conducted by LLYC and powered by the Leading Brands of Spain Forum and ICEX Spain Trade and Investment. It analyzed more than 83 million publications in Spanish and English from the United States between August 2017 and August 2022. The analysis focused on conversions from Twitter, digital outlets, forums, and blogs that shared American perceptions of Spain and its leading companies.