POLITICAL BRANDING
ANC cannot hold on to power by using its liberation credentials
The party’s downfall will come from a lack of understanding of new target markets that have emerged over the past two decades, writes Nicholas Kuhne
The brief honeymoon is over after the demise of former president Jacob Zuma. The rainbow did not last long, but it has given fresh impetus to the ANC to engage with a population tired of political excitement. The ANC has, in essence, had a "brand refresh" or packaging update with the introduction of a new special ingredient called Cyril Ramaphosa. Same ingredients, new packaging. So, let’s see how this plays out for the 2019 elections shall we? To use a ghastly brand analogy, if the ANC is the Omo of South African politics, the DA is the challenger brand Ariel, and the upstart EFF … the rough and tumble MAC. They all do the same thing, while promising to be better than the other one, and are differentiated largely by their packaging and an equally loyal following who swear that their choice has magical cleaning qualities. Brand heritage is often the key driver, and we can also throw in the regular coupon campaigns they all use to convert fence sitters, reinforce brand loyalty or out...
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