Spain, Practice of Public Relations in

Spain is perhaps the only country in the Western world that has struggled to counter its poor international reputation since the time of the conquest of America to the current financial crisis. This phenomenon is known as the Black Legend (Leyenda Negra)—a style of historical propaganda that demonizes the Conquistadores and in particular the Spanish Empire as a politically motivated attempt to incite animosity against Spain.

Anti-Spanish propaganda was started in the 16th century when Spain was at its height of political power. The propagandists were rival European Protestant powers (especially England and the Netherlands) who employed propaganda as a means to morally disqualify the country and its people. The Black Legend exaggerates the extent of the activities of the Inquisition, the cruelty to American indigenous subjects in the territories of the Spanish Empire, and the treatment of non-Catholics such as Protestants and Jews in its European territories. The term was coined by Julián Juderías in his 1914 book La Leyenda Negra y la Verdad Histórica [The Black Legend and Historical Truth]. A more pro-Spanish historiographical school (known as the White Legend) emerged as a reaction, especially within Spain, but also in the Americas.

This historical phenomenon has created paradox. On the one hand, government initiatives from the 16th century to the Franco regime in the 20th century were utilized to influence international public opinion; on the other, the delay in the consolidation of democracy until the death of Franco in 1975 was a major obstacle to the development and formalization of the public relations profession.

However, Spain is now one of the countries with the most skilled professionals in proportion to its population—32 universities offer degrees in advertising and public relations. According to data gathered by the Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia [Ministry of Education and Science], over 12,000 students were enrolled in this course in the whole of Spain in 2010. So, although the Spanish system differs from the Anglo-Saxon one, the government has set up public relations as an undergraduate [Page 863]major, alongside advertising, with a degree that is recognized nationally.

Elena Gutiérrez and Natalia Rodríguez divided the evolution of public relations in Spain into five periods: the first public relations campaigns (1953–1960), the decade of associative efforts (1961–1969), search for the institutionalization of the field (1970–1975), development under the democratic system (1975–1989), and recognition of public relations as strategic value (1990 to the present).

During the first two periods, public relations was consolidated, but primarily as a marketing activity. Excessive economic regulations and fascist protectionism did not allow free development of the profession. In this period, however, the first college in Europe to focus exclusively on public relations education was founded in 1967 at the University of Barcelona.

Because of the new democratic system and, consequently, the introduction of new economic and modernization policies in public administration, the 1975 to 1977 period represented an inflection point. Communications services were in increasing demand. Economic growth was accompanied by increased investment in advertising and other areas, including marketing and noncommercial communications. The public and private sectors needed corporate communication as a managerial function; this could be contracted through agencies or consultancies or created through internal structures with qualified professionals. Demand for this type of service explains international public relations consultancies opening their first offices during the 1980s.

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