Marketing is often misconstrued in this part of the word as an activity associated with harassing people by shoving products and services down the throat of the intended target market. Whether it is beneficial or essential to the end user is absolutely none of the “marketers” business, the bottom-line which is to sell is all that matters. For example, our hustlers go to “Jand” or Dubai at calculated periods to take advantage of reduction in prices of goods. They return few days or weeks later with a fake accent like “johnny” in Fela’s track “JJD” and storm into any indiscipline office idle enough to entertain them during work hours. There, they showcase their loot and cajole their victims (many who have got something quite identical to what is on display), who have got no self control to pick their choice like it was a gift from the Salvation Army. Even where some earn pittance of a salary, the marketers gag them to the point where they pick up wares like they were forced at gun point. This isn’t marketing, it is called personal selling, a component of marketing.
The Chartered Institute of Marketing although not exhaustive, defines Marketing as “The management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably.” So the harassment scenario is one in many tools of marketing.
This is applicable to the astute politician we find in our political arena today. They have thoroughly done their groundwork, identified the flaws in the system and society, anticipated possible reactions and devised clandestine but devious strategies to satisfy their ingenuous target audience albeit temporarily but more importantly, achieve profitable gains for themselves and their cronies.
I see the manifestation of this new breed of politician as a brand, a brand like Coca-cola. Like a brand competing with other brands in the market, they have formulated a strategy, a strategy they have mastered, and have applied to grow their tentacles and expand their presence in the political scene. For those of you familiar with marketing terminologies, one such business model organizations apply to develop, grow and expand its presence is the Ansoff matrix. This model entails implementing four marketing strategies at the operational level namely Market Penetration, Product Development, Market Development and Diversification. All strategies will be discussed in greater detail.
The contemporary politician is the product in question, and the market the electorate and all other mechanism deployed in firmly entrenching their position and clout. The shrewd contemporary politician has studied their environment scrupulously and is well aware of all the societal ills, including morale decadence, the majority of the masses living in abject poverty, the stoical nature of the citizenry despite despicable acts making a mockery of democracy, endemic nepotism and tribalism, religious strife etc. They have taken into cognizance the fact that all these issues circumlocutory play to their own advantage. Here is how they go about executing the four strategies to achieve their sole objective of clinging on to power or being politically relevant as long as they are breathing.
Through Market Penetration, they sell their brand to the existing market. This is the most routine of the strategies particularly if the community is considered a home turf. This market include the party “faithfuls”, those that bankroll the political movement, and those that will do anything to maintain the status quo since they will benefit from their man’s tenure, even if that requires maiming those who dare attempt to confront the status quo. They also organize rallies during campaigns, need I mention that all personnel involved are on the daily payroll of their “highness”.
As Fela sang decades ago in the track sorrow, tears and blood …… “we always get reason to fear…….I no wan die, I wan enjoy, papa dey for house, mama dey for house, I wan build house, I wan enjoy, i no wan go”. It’s the truth; we are unsurprisingly timid and highly tolerant. All it takes is to recruit the ever reliable linchpin, even officials that should be enforcing the law, who then hires miscreants (awon omo igboba executing ise ijoba) to snatch ballot boxes when things aren’t exactly going according to plan, smash a gulder bottle or two or leave another scoundrel from the opposition party limbless during a skirmish at the polling booth; basically anything to create a scene to intimidate anyone with ulterior motive other than theirs. By the way, majority of the miscreants used after the brand becomes the market leader, live in penury until the next general elections.
Through Product Development, they try to gain market share to firmly establish their clout and see off the competition. As they currently hold power, things won’t exactly be rosy for those in opposition. You recall I made mention of excessive greed as one of the societal ills which plays a huge role here. They (some opposition members) need a share of the spoils plundered by the ruling incumbent which can still be evenly distributed. They can’t afford to be “dulling” like whiz kid rightly advised, so they become disillusioned and disgruntled with their own brand. So they brazenly jump ship and join the “winning/ruling team”. The new recruits now become products utilized to further fortify the dominance of the brand of that contemporary politician.
After attaining much success for the brand on home soil, it’s only right they try to extend the brand’s footprint in other markets. This should serve as an avenue for more loot to plunder, and the merrier for the brand and its products. That is where the Market Development strategy comes into play. After a research has been conducted, it equips with a better understanding of the market segments and who can possibly buy the product and indirectly the brand itself. The ploy here is to affiliate with a local product that seemingly champions the cause of the community at large, when in truth every promise made is just sugar coated fibs. Remember, I said we are a gullible bunch, and what we want to eat will shut all forms of logical thinking capacity. As it is usually done, empty promises and commitments to white elephant projects dominate the product’s attributes, and after a few years, the market realize it was all a farce but a little too late. Besides, what more can the market do as alternatives available to the market aren’t any better.
When the brand now becomes too powerful such that all other competing brands are subject to its whims and caprices, it becomes a god. It is worshipped, sycophants soar in their numbers. The brand becomes a monopoly dictating every move in the market. Here, the market desires become irrelevant. The least of the brand’s problems is the yearnings of the market it brainwashed to acquire its dominance. But some elements still exist that can be a pain in the brand’s behind. So it adopts the Diversification strategy, a diversion from the core activities of the brand to something entirely new. This entails investing heavily on machinery that can divert all negative reports directed at the brand such as establishing media houses like private television and radio stations, or simply investing in vibrant sectors that can guarantee unprecedented funds other than funds acquired from activities of the brand and its products. But the brand’s core activities remain the cash cow used to inject the much needed funds to manage the new businesses till they attain the growth and maturity stage.
Slowly, the contemporary politician has dug deep into our political system and it will take a momentous and resolute effort to recover as their influence is widespread and given the nod by majority of the populace. And even while some are clearly against all that the brand stands for, they can’t say much. This is probably because they have at some point, soiled their hands in retrospect. The contemporary politician has used the societal ills to his own advantage. And every time potent allegations spring up against this brand, the manner with which such is swept under the carpet is jaw dropping. Like in the words of the Legendary Fela, “I see am, I shock, ah! Just like that, I see am, I react, ah!” just like that”.
What does the future hold for us? The brand didn’t get there itself. It used products, and the inertia of opposing brands to hoodwink the market to get to where it is today. If only my people will look beyond kickbacks, contractual agreement, the Ghana must go’s, and review this country’s position after 51 years of independence; they should realize the bigger picture and resist this brand. This brand is a threat to our existence in the long run. Desist from wasting your precious time and prayers because heaven they say helps those that help themselves. I pray we start to help ourselves.
Ositelu Eniola
@doublegeneral
