The Cabildo de Gran Canaria promotes this space, which is organised by Infecar with the co-organisation of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Agustín Medina, Francisco José González, Juan Ramón Plana and Fernando Herrero were the speakers at the tenth edition of the Canary Islands Communication Forum.

To be as brave as prudent. Selling a brand and not a product. Knowing when to change and when not to. These are just some of the reflections left by the tenth edition of Canarias Comunica, the Canary Islands Communication Forum, which on this occasion was entitled ‘From the power of the market to the power of the consumer’ and which featured Agustín Medina, Juan Ramón Plana, Francisco José González and Fernando Herrero, founders of Presidentex.

Promoted by the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, organised by Infecar and co-organised by the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, this space for debate brought together Marketing, Advertising and Communication professionals, as well as media, advertisers, agencies and lovers of the sector, yesterday afternoon at the Gran Canaria Conference Centre.

“We are with you because we bring you experience, a field of reflection, a strategic ‘think tank’ at the service of companies, media, advertisers, etc., that is Presidentex”. This was how Juan Ramón Plana, former general director of the Spanish Association of Advertisers, began his presentation. He was in charge of presenting to all the participants of this edition what Presidentex is, who its members are, what their careers have been like and what they have contributed over the years to the world of advertising, communication and marketing.

Francisco José González, one of Spain’s pioneers in the development of media agencies, who has also been president of the Spanish Association of Advertising Agencies, began a presentation on the beginnings of advertising and how it has developed into the modern era.

“It is essential to bear in mind that there was a time when all products were new and it was not necessary to make great efforts to sell; who wouldn’t want to change the wooden washboard for a washing machine?

However, with the 1960s, the picture began to change. “Products grew and we started to have a great variety. We moved into a consumer society and a supply market in which it is more difficult to sell because the markets are saturated, you have to differentiate yourself from the competition, bearing in mind that products are increasingly the same, but you also have to start taking into account the needs of consumers”.

Francisco José González’s career ended in the 1980s, when he was taken over by Agustín Medina. He is also a former president of the Spanish Association of Advertising Agencies and has a successful professional career that has been recorded in 14 books.

Medina stated that “the best campaigns and the golden age that completely changed advertising began in the 1980s. That is where the real explosion of creativity in advertising took place. Although today, in 2022, we may think we are in the future, our future began to be written there”.

Medina also gave a presentation in which he stressed the importance, above all, of having a brand: “selling brands rather than products is the secret to being in the future”.

Fernando Herrero, former president of the Advertising Academy, was the last to take the stage, to talk about examples of success stories and failures of brands in the field of advertising.

In this sense, Herrero used these examples to emphasise the need to stop and reflect in times of crisis. “It is as important to be brave as it is to be prudent, and before you jump into the pool, you must make sure that there is water in it”, he said.

After this, the four members of Presidentex began a debate in which they answered the questions posed by the Canarias Comunica audience.

It is worth noting that, for the first time since Canarias Comunica was launched, this space has had the alliance of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in co-organisational tasks, as a result of an agreement with the island’s governing body, which has allowed the presence of Presidentex in this event. Likewise, this edition has had Cajasiete as official collaborator and the Faculty of Economics, Business and Tourism of the ULPGC and the Chamber of Commerce of Gran Canaria as collaborators.