The Most Marketed Political Product Does Not Always Translate to Voter Acceptability

There are several instances where the Most Marketed Product does not sell.

Commercially, there are several examples of “Most Marketed-Product Failures”, however for the purpose of this article let me just give ten (10) examples:

1. Kasapa Mobile Telecommunication Company operations in Ghana.

2. Glo Mobile Telecommunication Company operations in Ghana

3. Google Glass

4. Apple Newton

5. Satisfries

6. Microsoft Zune

7. Nokia

8. Motorola

9. Crystal Pepsi

10. HP TouchPad

When it comes to politics, some ‘products’ or persons who were well marketed but could not translate their popularity into votes(Product Failures) include;

1. Raila Odinga of Kenya

2. Atiku Abubakar of Nigeria

3. Morgan Richard Tsvangirai of Zimbabwe

4. Anthony James Leon of South Africa

5. Julius Malema of South Africa

6. Omoyele Yele Sowore of Nigeria

7. Maurice Kamto of Cameroon

8. Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (also known as Bobi Wine) of Uganda

9. Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon of South Sudan

10. Martin Madidi Fayulu of Democratic Republic of Congo

11. Diane Rwigara of Rwanda

12. Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (also known as Al Gore) of United States of America

13. Hillary Clinton of United States of America

14. Kamala Harris of United States of America

15. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya of Belarus

16. Syarhei Tsikhanouskaya of Belarus

17. Marion Anne Perrine “Marine” Le Pen of France.

18. Muhammadu Buhari contested in the Nigeria presidential elections four times before becoming President.

In our Ghanaian electoral environment, these people and others not mentioned here have been on the ballot several times, yet received little to no acceptance from the Ghanaian voters. They are;

1. Edward Mahama of PNC

2. Thomas Nuako Ward-Brew

3. Dr. J. B. Danquah of UGCC/UP

4. Paa Kwesi Nduom

I would like to end here by stressing that being the Most Marketed does not and may not always end in voter acceptability.

The “Voters’ Psychology” can easily make nonsense of the “Most Marketed” slogan during general elections.

Issued by: Razak Kojo Opoku (PhD)
UP Tradition Institute