When Tony Leon left, the DA had a golden opportunity to re-position itself as an African party, or at the very least the kind of party that recognises the importance of an African identity. But they chose Helen Zille. Now some people love Helen, but to me she is the living embodiment of the dangers of a short-term brand strategy.
By choosing Zille as its leader the DA decided to focus on short-term approval from its existing fan base, eschewing the opportunity to start again and shoot for a more authentic African brand identity able to deliver long-term growth. So in 2009, even though the ANC has never been this divided and weak, South Africa remains groping for a viable opposition party with real momentum behind it. The door has opened, but there’s no one around to step over the threshold.
You can argue the finer points and subtleties all you want, but the DA’s 2009 election ad reveals all.
The ad is shot to what sounds like the falsetto voice of the four hundred pound Hawaiian crooner, Israel Kamakawiwo, singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Even though it offers an easy “message prop” the choice of song is unfortunately symbolic. Do you really want to associate your party with out-of-control obesity?
Nonetheless, the ad’s message is that if we vote DA we’ll find, somewhere over the new South African rainbow, our promised land. And what does that promised land look like?
Like life at a retirement village. On a golf resort.
The DA give us repeat shots of happy couples of various ages hugging and in varying stages of advanced relaxation and happiness. Juxtaposed with an image or two of highly generic township / tsotsi-style violence, the stars of the DA cast all look like they’re in the throes of a leafy lawn picnic, to be swiftly followed, surely, by an afternoon nap.
Has the DA creative team ever been out of Cape Town? Based on the ad evidence one would have to say possibly not.
Given South Africa’s currently highly fraught political state, you can’t quibble with the DA’s core “let us lead you to a better place” positioning, but the party’s depiction of what that place looks like reflects an uncomfortably dislocated brand identity. It reflects, also, a missed political opportunity of major proportions. How many South Africans are there out there who neither want to vote ANC nor retire to golf estate paradise? Plenty. I count myself in this segment. I’m someone who, given the Mafia-like state of current politics (which is eerily in keeping with the Mafia-like precedents set by the Broederbond and the Randlords before them) feels the urge to vote, but is stranded without an option save for Cope, a party made up mostly of people who got us here in the first place.
So, even with the nauseatingly self-righteous Zille at the helm, I might have considered voting DA this time around, if only to punish the ANC for running the country like their own game of monopoly. But one can’t vote entirely in the negative sense. Or, put another way, if you are only going to vote in opposition to the ANC, you may as well go all the way and give it to the Soccer Party.
How did it come to this? Why is the DA humming this bizarre tune? And, do they really believe having so many news clips of Zille gyrating on stage in a deeply embarrassing parody of election excitement is positioning the party well in the long term?
Like Leon, Zille fulfils many of the aspirations of the DA’s existing audience of upper LSM South African suburbanites. She comes across as tough on everything and willing to adopt a principled stand at five paces with anyone, at any time. She is the voice of angry reason many existing DA voters want to hear. But sadly for the DA (and for the many people desperate for a party to vote for), she and her party fail spectacularly in demonstrating historical empathy and in putting a clearly African identity forward to voters. And this time round the opportunity cost could be massive. Had the DA been better positioned — with a black leader and an African identity — and had the party made a real attempt to expand its constituency beyond its roots, it would be picking up the votes of disaffected ANC voters hand over fist.
Instead…
The ANC, conversely shows far more strategic intelligence with its advertising, which on the one hand pulls history, age, legacy, respect for elders and all the other levers of popular political emotion, and on the other goes straight for the politically conscious youth market jugular. You can read as much as you want into the messaging, the way the party has tried to contextualise crime and corruption, the formal introduction of JZ as our leader etc etc, but on a far more basic level the ANC ads win because they use images of the country the majority of people can identify with.
The DA creative think-tank could take a long hard look at the ANC approach and learn some lessons. There are ways to create strong political campaigns, and most of them start with identity. Ask Barack Obama.
So, on we go. I’ve been having the “should I vote” debate with people a lot lately and many of the young adults (18-34 years) I talk to give me the ideological finger. “They’re all the same,” they say, “and we’re not voting for any of them”.
It would be great to have a comeback but all I’ve got is a vote for the Soccer Party.
Eish.
You and Jimmy Manyi should get on like a house on fire.
Why do you think that Nedbank chose a white to replace Tom Boardman – because they are racist?
Typical racist stereotyping.
Zille fights for the rights of the poor, but some people can’t see past her colour.
So sad.
Suggesting that an “African” party has to have a black leader as a sine qua non is, of course, instructing white people just to accept that they have no right to aspire to any top leadership position because they are, unfortunately, white.
Pffft! That’s not “non-racial”.
One has to vote, to not vote is to give away one’s democratic right. Never complain about crime, corruption or the state of the nation if you don’t vote. A ‘no vote’ says that you are happy with the current state of affairs.
All politicians become corrupt the longer they stay in power, so one must vote for an opposition party just to balance the playing field. Otherwise don’t complain when a dictatorship appears.
Agreed, the DA has got it all wrong. Hopefully after this election there will be some serious soul searching and merging of opposition parties.
The hope that Cope gives is that it is built in the new SA and is not a product of apartheid era politics.
I suspect that we might be yearning for ‘the leadership that got us here in the first place’ as here might be a whole lot better than where JZ is going to take us.
The ANC have forsaken their core values as a liberation movement and now march in lockstep to their masters in Beijing. South Africa’s resources are up for sale and corrupt politicians fatten their Swiss bank accounts. Even in the eyes of the international community, the honeymoon is over for the ANC. Lets hope South Africans revolt against this corruption in this election.
The DA undoubtedly, have some good ideas and Zille is a smart and courageous person, but they just lack the momentum of the people to deliver on their ideas. You’re absolutely right, the DA totally squandered a golden opportunity after Tony Leon. Why is it that even after 14 years, they still cannot not attract blacks into ranks?
Andrew, please don’t throw away your vote to the Soccer Party? Give Cope a chance if you’re serious about building a viable opposition. Even though they are largely a breakaway faction from the ANC they don’t have strong links to Mbeki, they’ve been running on a platform of inclusion and offer some great ideas as well. They are our only hope!
So don’t worry about the “best man (woman) for the job”. You basically want to say that Helen Zille is not black. Let us look past race and do what is best for our country.
Just try and crticise the DA performance in municiplaities. Can you think of any corruption? No. History and legacy are important but not at the expense of our future.
I want what is best for SA now. For our future.
I all fairness, I wish I could say that Political Party X will have my vote. But sadly, I did not even register to vote. COPE has my sympathy, ANC has my respect for getting us the freedom, DA has my suburban ambitions covered, IFP reminds me that I am Mosotho (not Zulu), ACDP reminds me why religion must never be mixed with politics, ANCYL reminds me why I ensured that I get myself a degree.
So with this dilemma of leadership, lack of political choice (from the so-called “wide political spectrum”), political buffoonery and priests becoming politicians, I decide that my vote is my power and I will not give that power to anyone.
If JZ can get away with what he is seemingly getting away with, and the majority of South Africans are keen to vote for him, it is clear that there is no better place than now – a near-Mafia state!
And can anyone really give me a background information on Helen Zille. Where did she come from? What is her political credentials? Where was she during the NP era?
I agree with you; the DA needs to sharpen up on its election message and its brand. Its horribly dated and contrived. I will still vote DA because that angry voice of reason is just that and unfortunately many here in SA need to learn that politics should not be a carnival of colour and singing. It is about hard work and admin. The singing gets in the way of the admin and promises fail. When the electorate finally realise that the most boring sensible party of PUBLIC SERVANTS is actually the party that will get them the houses they seek, the DA might thrive. Until then they can only hope to be opposition and dedicated opposition at that.
For that they get my vote.
For their posters they get big thumbs down and I kinda like that song regardless of what size the singer is and a future of golf courses although bland is slightly better than a future of crime and poverty.
I suggest you ask yourself why you are concerned about race, not about service delivery, education, medical care, an out-of-control police force and widespread corruption. Ask yourself why JZ needs to be surrounded by ex-MK members, and why he thought it important to call on them to defend our constitution on 16 December last year.
Then get back to the latest results in Cape Town and in Kempton Park and say: maybe the people are just starting to see the light…
Who says the DA is not attracting black voters? Look at the recent by-election in Khyalitsha. Look at the doubling of black suport in Ekurhuleni in this week’s by-election. I find it ironic that the writer’s dismissal of Zille’s “gyrating” mirrors that of the FF+ campaigners. The voice perhaps of an upper LSM South African suburbanite?
At least somebody out there gets it. There are no opposition parties — just a crowd of front-people for advertising agencies. The ANC is the only party which even knows how to pretend to appeal to anyone with less than R100 000 a year.
The thing is that the DA’s collapse (and don’t blame it on Zille, remember she was installed there by the DA’s big business backers, and is severely restrained by the ultra-right Johannesburg cabal around Jack Bloom and company) has ensured that Zuma will sail through this election without serious problems. And without any surviving internal opposition. CoPe’s failure, ditto.
We are so screwed.
who is the president of that invisible non-existing soccer party?
ag, i forgot–you dont know him either…talk about fantasy!!
they got it wrong the moment they started cloning american stuff, obama presidential campaigning logo…to make things worse for them, they used a “white” sun rising–literally translating to the return of whites, and they knocked themselves down by using south african colours of our flag EXCEPT the black (read the majority of the country)…
now what were you expecting?
@Andrew Miller: “But sadly for the DA (and for the many people desperate for a party to vote for), she and her party fail spectacularly in demonstrating historical empathy”- that is so true
@ Se7en- Zille is not only racist but she is especially concerned with preserving white privilege.
@ Jon: you forget that whites have been governing this country for about 350years. Why can’t they give blacks a chance? White people simply have to accept that Apartheid is just not coming back. Even though blacks are still the poorest and most whites have black servants to clean their toilets and raise their kids, they still want MORE MORE MORE. God! Apartheid brainwashed white people into thinking they are entitled to everything. But no one will stop transformation- racists can nag and scream and dance till the cock crows but blacks (and especially Africans) will reclaim their right to sharing in the wealth of their country- of which their ancestors were robbed by colonialist thieves. Aluta continua! I love this country. God bless South Africa!
This nonsence about not having any credibilty with blacks is simply disinformation. Yesterday in the coloured suburb of Mitchells Plain the DA wiped the floor with the ANC, ID and COPE. Get your facts straight and in future when you want to make a point , please get on with it.
What on earth is An African Identity??
What is Obama’s identity?
Why is Identity a factor in choosing the most skilled candidate to provide good governance, or specialised cardiac surgery, or plumbing your home, or educating your children?
The DA are realists in their calcuations and projections. They look to the long term, and so do NOT prostitute their core values and brand to short term gains: they could have selected Seremane to lead, but he himself elected Helen as their best leadership material.
They know that, in a few years, the electorate will be dominated by a new generation of colour-blind voters.
If you removed colour from the equation, Andrew Miller, who, of all party leaders on the ballot, do you think offers the best skills, capacity and INTEGRITY needed to lead this country?
Helen Zille and the DA have my vote. And my Trust.
How about we finally dump all this race crap. An African party? how about a South African party???
People love Zille because she is the only one delivering the results the other parties promise – not because of some ad campaign.
You comment about DA marketing people never being outside Cape Town is telling: the reason Cape Town was voted the World’s Best Destination – when the rest of South Africa sliding fast in international opinion is precisely because of what Zille has done. It’s no wonder she is regarded as one of the world’s best leaders.
Perhaps Musina booted the ANC recently precisely because they looked at how they were living and looked ‘over the rainbow’ to how it is in Cape Town and decided they wanted part of that. So they voted the DA in. Good for them. They will see the results.
Our President said recently the the liberation struggle today is about jobs, electricity, education, health care, etc. I agree. And that makes the DA the only real liberation organisation around.
@ siphiwo: ““white” sun rising–literally translating to the return of whites”
Good grief! er, perhaps it’s because the sun is white??? Take a look next time you’re outside. Take a long hard look. Then your world may just go all black – the way you want it.
@Phehello “Where did she come from? What is her political credentials? Where was she during the NP era?”
Check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Zille
She was:
>the one who uncovered and exposed Steve Biko’s murder
>turning her home into a safe house for anti-apartheid activists
>in hiding with her two year old daughter because the Nats wanted to kill her
>being arrested for contravening the Group Areas Act (she was caught in a black area without a pass.
>heavily involved in the Black Sash Movement
>and the End Conscription Campaign
>and in the South Africa Beyond Apartheid Project
>gathering evidence for the Goldstone Commission into
attempts to destabilise the Western Cape before the elections in 1994
Phehello
Since you seem the only one asking a genuine question – let me tell you what little I know.
Helen Zille is about the same age as me. She was a journalist during the apartheid years (like the Bang Bang Club – but written, not photo, journalism).
She was main reporter for Allister Sparks, the editor of the Rand Daily Mail, at the time the most anti-apartheid of the papers (which eventually they managed to shut down). The stories they could not get published here they smuggled overseas for publication. She broke the story of Steve Biko’s death. Had she not uncovered it – we might have never remembered Steve Biko today.
“No” votes and “spilled” ballots go to the majority party, most likely still the ANC. By all means, if you don’t like the ANC, vote for any other party, even the “soccer party” if such a party exist.
If you want to look a little beyond your nose, you might want a party that stands for good governance, rule of law and all the things that stabilise society. Would skin colour really matter when it comes to principles, norms, good governance and a solid reliable justice system?
If the SA economy sails by the wind, would it matter if the captain is black or white or any shade in between?
It seems like that apartheid will only go if the last person suffering under the system has died.
I had hoped that the majority of Africans would have been wiser and had been taking the gift of the liberation into the future instead of spending their time moaning about the past.
@Lipinsky .. One doesn’t “take turns” at being leaders. This isn’t a game of hide-and-seek. And, if you are a principled non-racialist, you do not accept that anyone, ever, must simply accept a subservient position because they are born into a “wrong” race. Only racists think that way.
Phehello wrote: So with this dilemma of leadership, lack of political choice…I decide that my vote is my power and I will not give that power to anyone.
As educated as you are, this is where you miss it. You can’t change things by not doing anything.
Hoo boy, all the stereotypes come out to play. Andrew in typical “brand consultant” fashion (if you don’t like my principals I’ve got another set for you to look at), go for what looks good and right, never mind principal, capability or morals. Philippa, mfb et al with the racist rag waving.
But I reckon reality is that voting in SA will remain entrenched in the race, liberation and hand out pipelines with very little mixing. It’s not just me that thinks so; it’s pretty much what analysts like Van Zyl Slabbert and Schlemmer believe.
When are we as South Africans going to get over the idea of nationalism based on race and colour? Can we not move on to supporting parties that resonate ideologies based on an open society where people are free to be who they are? We are living in a new world where issues of race are so far away from those children who are born into the New South Africa. South Africans let go of what identified you in the past and lets walk forward together as a nation.. as a people!
I cannot agree with you more. The DA has got an oppositional mindset and will never be able to govern the country. The party is a front for Neo liberals, and if by some misfortune come into power will most probably sell everything off. The city of Cape Town is being run as a last outpost of White colonialism. Recently I was in the Delft area. The area near the community centre looks like it has never been cleaned. So where is the DA and Helen Zille’s service delivery. The DA also wants to bulldoze the Rapid Transit system into place, for the Soccer world cup, and then what is going to happen. White privilege is being maintained by the DA, must be because they decided to become bed fellows of the NP, a few years back
You are so right. DA is still, in the minds of many still PFP and therefore part of the old system. I think ol’ Tony Tony has something to do with that.It should not be that way with the kids because they do not know where DA comes from, but i suspect that it will do better with a black leadership.It has to resonate with young black kids as well. Otherwise it will stay in the fringe of politics till Jesus comes back.Cheers folks,i have an election to win.
So, Richard R, who dirtied up Delft Community Centre in the first place? DA supporters? Why shouldn’t people clean up their own mess — or, better still, refrain from making any — rather than whine about “service delivery” or the lack thereof?
And don’t forget that the rump of the NP officially joined not the DA but the ANC, and that their leader, Kortbroek, is now an ANC cabinet minister?
The DA is displaying an “oppositional mindset” because — well, duhhh — it is in opposition! But its performance in governance (limited to Cape Town City) is superb, and its mayor is rated the Best Mayor in the World.
Bru, sjoe but you’re making the whiteys restless. I’m seriously disappointed in you though. I thought you would have picked up the obvious product placements in that ad for Fancourt et al. Brilliant article, small wonder you’re one of my favourite writers in SA.
So you are saying that the DA should have a black leader?!?! How completely racist. You are going backwards! South Africans need to get past seeing everything from a race perspective, it’s just depressing. I fully support Helen’s pro-poor approach as opposed to black or white.
i’ll give my vote to awp (avoid work party).
they won last local election in my suburb, and they’ve been doing a great job so far!
…and it’s pro-poor!
So much for reconciliation.South Africans are miles apart racially.one can detect the race of the writer even before getting to the end of the comment.Where is this country going? God help us all.I suppose it must hurt Madiba to see so much division among South Africans after all he sacrificed a better part of his life so that one day we would be united as a single nation.What has happened to the voice of reason?
It is high time reasonable South Africans raised their voices against this scourge of racism and animosity that is cancerous in it`s very nature and slowly but surely decimating the goodwill that was abundant when this country achieved what was termed as the miracle of the world in 1994.
The fact is no matter what transpires we need each other and only unity and goodwill among the various race groups will ensure that our future is secure.