ANC’s opposition is not cracking it, says media expert

Opposition party confidence about removing the ANC from government by 2024 may be putting the cart before the horse.

Digital analyst Michele Venter of Bold Online Marketing said that a mountain of work is required by parties to dent public opinion favourably and influence voters.

She said: “Being barkative on social media means nothing when you are not actively marketing your message to your audience effectively. And none of the parties are cracking it.”

Data suggests that the ANC remains the most searched for political party and terms queried shows a sustained thirst for current news on the party. Trailing well behind the ruling party as far as public interest goes is the Democratic Alliance (DA).

ActionSA has dropped off the radar since the elections with a comparative flatline in interest from voters. The Economic Freedom Fighters, thanks to mainstream media, remains somewhat relevant, Venter said. But it’s the mainstream media that dictates the narrative and parties are losing a grip on their own messaging.

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Venter said that interest in ActionSA has dried up after an initial 1 200% surge in interest. It’s now naught.

“The Democratic Alliance seems to be the only party trying to generate interest in what it has to say outside of social streams, with a proper newsroom, where it posts daily. Yet there’s also a disconnect between message dissemination and gaining new audiences for it.”

Venter analysed major parties and their public performance six and a bit months after last year’s hotly contested elections. The DA must address some important propaganda issues promptly if it were to make further inroads, suggested Venter.

She said that a continued, concerning thread runs through the party’s narrative.

“People just don’t know who [the DA’s] leaders are and while the party may disagree, it’s clear from their digital activity that they are not reaching out to new audiences, but rather preaching to the converted. And that is not how you create future votes.”

Beyond its inevitable scandals that occur with mundane regularity these days, the ANC’s biggest problem is Jacob Zuma, who remains the second-most interesting party-related topic after general news.

The Gauteng 2022 party election and its tripartite alliance follows in search terms, while curiously, a growing number of people want to understand whether the ANC is left or right-wing.

Venter said: “Voter education is critical to any party planning to make real gains in 2024. Social media alone is not going to do the job. Parties need to remarket, seek out fresh audiences and drive messaging proactively.”

Venter noted: “Right now, nobody’s really educating the public about their policies. It’s all just anti-ANC.”

DA leader John Steenhuisen could have run an immensely successful Ukraine-trip campaign, said Venter, had he simply created an explainer video prior to the trip, shared information on channels other than social media and provided some substance.

“Instead,” she said, “his tweets were drops in an ocean of social noise that simply ended up soliciting criticism and ridicule. This could have been a powerful idea, but it was poorly implemented.”

Venter said: “Nobody is pushing a clear agenda. On top of that, the public’s bulls**t meter has gone through the roof and there is a clear demand for transparency.

– news@citizen.co.za