The Spanish monarchy as a corporate brand: branding of political institutions

Abstract

This article provides a new approach to study monarchy as a political institution using the emerging literature on marketing and corporate heritage brands. This is the first time that the Spanish monarchy is analyzed from branding and management approaches. The study is also pioneering in its methodology, since the study of the monarchy brand and the Felipe VI brand is carried out through a large panel of national experts. To this purpose, a conceptual and analytical model is introduced based on the different attributes of the monarchy brand: organizational values, core values and added values. A distinction is also made between the institutional brand (Spanish monarchy) and the personal brand of the current incumbent king (Felipe VI). The synthesis of the branding and political science literature allows for a novel approach to the perception of an institution of great importance for the Spanish political system and othr european political systems.