The close journalistic link between "marca España" and politics

Abstract

The main objective of this paper is to describe the features of general daily press coverage of the term 'marca España' linked to the political sphere between 2012 and 2015. This period, which covers most of Mariano Rajoy's first term in office, is characterized by a context of economic, social, and institutional crisis. The three most widely circulated newspapers in Spain: El País, El Mundo and La Vanguardia, are taken as a sample, and all the journalistic pieces that include the term 'marca España' are analyzed through a quantitative content analysis. The results demonstrate the close journalistic link between the Spain brand and politics and show the difficulty of shaping a favorable public opinion when the country's leading institutions are going through a credibility and leadership crisis. By means of a specific case study, the paper helps us understand a diffuse and complex concept such as nation brand.