Reputation Lab explores the economic impact of country reputation on businesses at CIM 2026
Madrid, 30 September 2026. Reputation Lab participated in the 7th Innovation and Intangible Metrics Congress (CIM 2026), organized by Corporate Excellence – Centre for Reputation Leadership and held at Espacio Fundación Telefónica in Madrid.
During the event, Fernando Prado, Managing Partner at Reputation Lab, delivered a presentation entitled “Country Reputation and Its Impact on Businesses and the Wider Economy: The Case of Spain”, sharing new analyses developed using RepCore Nations 2026 to demonstrate how a country’s international reputation generates economic value for its businesses.
The presentation explored the role of reputation in a geopolitical environment increasingly shaped by economic and military power, highlighting that international perceptions continue to influence fundamental decisions such as where to travel, invest, purchase products or establish business relationships.
Two sources of economic value: the price premium and the risk premium
One of the central messages of the presentation was that a country’s reputation can generate economic benefits for its businesses through two complementary mechanisms: increasing the commercial value of their products and services, and contributing to more favorable financing conditions.
Regarding the first mechanism, Reputation Lab introduced its new Made-In Score, incorporated into RepCore Nations 2026 to measure the value that a country of origin adds to its businesses, products and services.
The findings show that a stronger international reputation is associated with a greater willingness among consumers to pay a premium for products originating from that country. The analysis also confirms that the country-of-origin effect plays a fundamental role in this relationship.
The second source of economic value relates to financing costs. Reputation Lab’s analyses identify a significant association between countries’ international reputation and their sovereign risk premiums, even after statistically controlling for differences in income levels.
A stronger reputation can therefore contribute to lower borrowing costs for countries, with implications for the businesses operating within them.
Spain: a strong international reputation with opportunities to generate greater commercial value
The presentation used Spain as a case study. According to RepCore Nations 2026, Spain ranks 12th among the world’s 60 largest economies in terms of its reputation among the general public in G7 countries.
However, Spain ranks lower on the new Made-In Score, revealing an opportunity to translate its strong international reputation more effectively into commercial value for its products and services.
Among the factors that could help Spain capitalize on this opportunity are the international visibility of Spanish brands and companies and perceptions of the quality of their products and services.
Country reputation: a shared responsibility
The presentation concluded by emphasizing that the relationship between a country’s reputation and its businesses works in both directions.
Companies benefit from the international reputation of their country of origin, but they also help shape it through their products, services, business relationships and the experiences they create for their stakeholders.
RepCore Nations findings confirm that direct experiences, particularly visiting a country, doing business with its companies or consuming its products, are among the touchpoints with the greatest positive impact on country reputation.
Building and managing a country’s international reputation is therefore not solely the responsibility of public institutions. It is a shared responsibility involving governments, businesses and citizens.
Reputation Lab’s participation in CIM 2026 reinforces its commitment to developing metrics that demonstrate the economic impact of intangible assets and support their strategic management.
PR Noticias also covered the presentation, publishing an article on the economic value of country reputation for businesses.