How APC is becoming Africa’s biggest brand

On May 3, 2013, I wrote an article titled “2015: Fish where the fishes are”. In that article, I stated how election result manipulations were reducing drastically and how much efforts political candidates would have to put in for them to be elected.I advised them to reach out to the younger population as they constituted the majority of the country’s population. Indeed, Nigerian youths are becoming more enlightened because they now have access to information like never before.

The social media age is making information available at their fingertips. Hence, they are beginning to make demands from the government. I urged political parties to embrace social media as a platform to reach out to this population.

However, in another article I published on August 1, 2013 titled “Social Media, Politicians and 2015”, I requested political parties to get on social media platforms so they could monitor thoughts, expressions, interests and comments of electorate. The idea was that the move would help them relate better with the electorate.

Again, it was around June last year that I requested to train some politicians and their media aides on how they could use new media and how it could work with their strategies. One of the notable politicians at the training made a statement. He said, “I can’t join social media, especially Twitter. All this small children that don’t have respect will insult me”. I immediately responded, “Then you are not ready for new age politics”. I am glad he is now on social media, particularly Twitter, and he is enjoying himself.

Before the then Action Congress of Nigeria turned All Progressives Congress, there was nothing to say about the party than some old folks calling themselves politicians.

With the emergence of APC looking forward to 2015’s elections, the party raised the bar of politicking in the country. It became a recognisable brand not just in Nigeria, but also in Africa and the rest of the world. It takes time to become a brand- lot of thinking, strategy, brainwork and foresight.

Therefore, building a brand must be a deliberate and skilful application of effort to create a desired perception. How has this sleeping dog become a lion overnight? What has made this political party turn a brand to be recognised? The answer lies in consistency.

People want a consistent level of quality in items they purchase and services rendered to them. If it drops, it triggers dissatisfaction and a complaint made. The APC has been consistent when it comes to delivering quality in the states they govern and this has made them stand out among other political parties. No customer wants to deal with a company they cannot trust.

Another characteristic is passion. Before the merger of ACN and Congress for Progressive Change, which led to APC, both parties respectively ran for the Presidential office, which they lost. Many other parties too did the same but later relented.

A passion for a cause makes you see more than your setbacks. Passion propels you to work hard and continually deliver greatness. That passion leads to enthusiasm and genuine joy, which is infectious.

Again, to create a brand, you need to establish a unique character about your brand. One bold character of the party is its ability to always express its dissatisfaction. APC is very vocal. This has made the party visible over the years. Apple is one of the most valued brands in the world. Its brand valuation stands at $148bn. But its uniqueness has paved the way for its achievement. Every Apple product stands out from other brands.

There is also audience knowledge. This is what most top brands have in common. The best brands have a thorough understanding of the demographics in terms of target, interest and communication.

The APC did this so well. The party knows how to get information from its different population and tailor its messages to suit them.

Finally, no top brand today will push aside the roles of social media and technology in becoming a global brand. Social media has changed the way brands communicate and interact with their customers. Nigeria’s population has one of the fastest social media and technology savvy youths.

Technology played a decisive role in the last presidential election from social media campaigns to card reader machines, which reduced rigging. The APC tapped into this long before other political parties woke up – taking it to a completely new level by having a situation room where it monitors votes.