For 89% of communication directors in Spain, managing strategic communication is considered a fundamental pillar of their organizations today (down slightly from 91% in 2023), according to the latest edition of the study Communication Agencies and Advertisers 2024, conducted by El Publicista. In most cases, strategic communication is not only about generating business, but about sustaining the company’s image and the positioning of its brand or brands in the market, a priority highlighted by more than 70% of respondents.
Carme Miró, CEO and founder of APPLE TREE, also contributed to the research, sharing insights into why companies are increasingly investing in strategic communication:
“Strategic communication management is essential because it builds the reputation of companies and their brands. More than 70% of consumers say they prefer to buy from companies with a good reputation,” Carme explained.
“Moreover, as macroeconomic studies show, in 2024 virtually all sectors of the Spanish economy have grown across the board, with very few exceptions, and the outlook for 2025 is equally promising. In communications, this growth has outpaced the year-on-year average in the second and third quarters, which makes us anticipate a very optimistic 2025.”
The study also underscores that communication directors increasingly view strategic or corporate communication as a business driver in today’s socioeconomic context. Agencies specializing in communication and public relations are once again identified as the most effective partners to deliver on this, with 76% of respondents; nearly 8 in 10, considering agencies key to reaching consumers and turning that engagement into business relationships (a sharp rise from 46% to 76% in under three years, according to El Publicista).
Commenting further, Carme Miró said:“At APPLE TREE our focus is always on delivering real impact on business results. In strategic communication, we can do something that advertising and marketing cannot: prevent and manage crises. We do this by building the reputation of companies and brands and knowing how to act when serious events occur. From systematic attacks by haters to corporate or factory restructurings ,only PR and communication experts like us can advise CEOs and Management Committees with confidence.”
Challenges for Strategic Communication
The research also highlights key challenges for the sector, namely the need to continue proving the business impact of strategic communication. “In our industry there are many standard KPIs and measurement methodologies. At APPLE TREE we have developed several proprietary analysis tools that give us the strongest analytical capabilities in the market. These include our 4C Methodology (context, competition, customers/audiences, and core), the Relevance Index, the State of Opinion Study, and advanced Share of Voice (SOV) calculations,” Carme Miró explained.
APPLE TREE at the Top of the Rankings
The El Publicista study also highlights the performance of agencies specializing in strategic communication, where APPLE TREE once again ranks among the very top. Specifically, the agency is ranked 4th overall and 2nd most attractive to advertisers in Spain.
