When I joined Iberdrola in December 2007, the first thing that struck me was the fact that the company had a brand department, dedicated exclusively to brand management. It is not standard practice in the energy industry, where the task is usually reduced to just another function of the marketing departments, as opposed to large consumer companies which employ Brand Managers.
Iberdrola’s brand management philosophy, comparable to that of a large consumer company, appealed to me from day one and gave me an idea of just how important the brand is for the company, an intangible asset which has continuously grown and become more valuable with time. The Interbrand TOP 10 Spanish Brands survey, recently released, shows that Iberdrola brand, valued at €996 millions the most valuable brand of Spain’s electricity industry, twice as valuable as the next power company listed in the ranking and 14% higher than the previous year’s survey.
Managing Iberdrola brand makes me very proud and happy. Seeing the results of our department’s efforts also pays off. I would like to congratulate all my brand colleagues throughout the Group for their unswerving commitment and dedication.
Today, I can proudly say that the job I have inherited has been carried out most competently since the initial launch of the new branding in 2002. Our brand reflects the strategic commitment set in motion by the company back in 2001 of generating cleaner energy through major investments in renewable energy technologies. At that time, it was a unique and original pledge, requiring a new brand to reflect it.
Thus, our new brand was born, seeking differentiation from the competition and representing new ways to generate energy. Our logo, green and encompassing a green leaf, symbolises our commitment to generating energy by means of more environmental alternatives, helping people maintain their quality of life. It also contains two droplets: a blue one representing wind energy and hydropower, and an orange one representing natural gas.
Iberdrola continued to grow and to invest in sustainable renewable energy, soon becoming the world leader in the wind energy industry, as our brand clearly reflects. This affords us a strong, well-constructed brand that has evolved at the same pace as the company and, more importantly, is a brand that can demonstrate with facts both its philosophy and its position in the market, which is a crucial and scarce attribute.
Managing a brand within the electricity sector is a challenging task because the way this product, energy, is perceived means it is hard to achieve similar results as large consumer brands. It must be stressed that electricity is regarded as a basic product and we all take for granted that, whenever we turn on a switch or electrical appliance, it will work every time. On the few occasions when it doesn’t, we take our frustration out on the electric companies while getting a glimpse of what life would be like without electricity. The stark reality we face at such times is that we simply can’t do anything without electricity and electrical devices.
We don’t stop to think that, whenever an incident occurs, professionals are out there working to solve the problem and that a fault cannot be fixed by magic. We get angry and stamp our feet, forgetting there are people working on our behalf. When something is always there, we rarely appreciate it for its true worth. It is not easy to deal with such perceptions. Indeed, it becomes a daily task, as altering such entrenched opinions about certain products is incredibly complicated.
During my years here, I have enjoyed, and still enjoy every day, managing our brand and the challenges posed by the Group’s international expansion into new markets such as the UK, US and, most recently, Brazil. It has been very demanding and a chance to apply strategic management in adapting to different market realities.
I feel very fortunate to be able to experience these wonderful times managing the Iberdrola brand and it has been incredibly rewarding to see how it grows stronger each day through such actions as our sponsorship of the Spanish National Football Team (soccer) at a time when it won its first ever World Cup in South Africa 2010. It has been a fabulous learning opportunity in brand application.
For several years now we’ve been able to say that Iberdrola is an International brand managed by several outstanding colleagues all over the world who ensure that it continues to grow on a daily basis.
In short, working at Iberdrola and especially in the brand department represents a rewarding opportunity for personal and professional growth through my day-to-day work. A company whose brand I feel immensely proud of and where I’m delighted to cooperate towards its global growth, sharing each day with great people and a superb international team who have turned Iberdrola into one large family.
