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Have you ever stopped to wonder what the purpose of advertising through the radio, print media and TV is? Usually, one must say it's to attract customers, to drive revenue, to build a brand - basically to get your company's name out there. All pretty straightforward marketing strategy for companies wanting to drive sales and build their customer base.
Hence for years I've been perplexed with the radio adverts I've heard for the City of Johannesburg and various municipal and government departments. I've always thought of it as wasted money: Why does the City of Johannesburg need to advertise itself as a "World class African City" ? Are we trying to attract more people to Johannesburg? Why do government departments need to market themselves?
I've lived in various countries and cities internationally, and never once can I recall hearing a municipality or city advertising themselves. After all, there's no need to. They simply get on with the job of running their cities, departments and municipalities.
Why then do the ANC-led government and ANC-led municipalities run adverts? For lack of any deep insight into their reasoning, one can only assume it's to use propaganda to control people's thinking : to make people think that Johannesburg is truly a world class African city. Honestly speaking, it's not, and I challenge you to ask anyone who has lived in a first world country. Definitely not a first world African city any longer, possibly a leading African city on a reduced African rating system.
There are plenty countries and cities in Africa with better fiber (internet) infrastructure than South Africa, countries
with better roads, working traffic lights, less litter, better pavements (walk around Jhb CBD and try not twist an ankle falling into a hole), working street lights, the list goes on. If I were running the Johannesburg municipality badly, as the ANC have, I'd also want to make people believe I was doing a great job, despite all the facts showing otherwise.
The advertising is clearly not aimed at the content populace. They are content, so your advertising is a waste of money. I can see why, when there are daily service delivery protests, there could be a need to make discontent people aware that things are happening. Yes, we are building houses. Yes, we are building new roads. Yes, we are replacing bucket toilets. However most of the advertising I've heard is nothing like this: it doesn't detail the successes the government / municipality have had.
It could be that there is an element of egotism : Parks Tau wanting to hear his voice on the radio, wanting people to know he's running a great city, a well-run City - trying to get voters to believe the propaganda.
It may even be that money is changing hands, that a group of people in the inner-circle clique are benefiting financially from this advertising. I know you might think that a stretch, but given the ANC's performance over the years, it's a real possibility.
Here's the real question: Will the DA run adverts in Johannesburg to tell people how well they are doing, or will they knuckle down and get on with the job and demonstrate by doing that they are doing a good job, or will they, like the ANC, resort to Goebbels-like propaganda?
Hence for years I've been perplexed with the radio adverts I've heard for the City of Johannesburg and various municipal and government departments. I've always thought of it as wasted money: Why does the City of Johannesburg need to advertise itself as a "World class African City" ? Are we trying to attract more people to Johannesburg? Why do government departments need to market themselves?
I've lived in various countries and cities internationally, and never once can I recall hearing a municipality or city advertising themselves. After all, there's no need to. They simply get on with the job of running their cities, departments and municipalities.
Why then do the ANC-led government and ANC-led municipalities run adverts? For lack of any deep insight into their reasoning, one can only assume it's to use propaganda to control people's thinking : to make people think that Johannesburg is truly a world class African city. Honestly speaking, it's not, and I challenge you to ask anyone who has lived in a first world country. Definitely not a first world African city any longer, possibly a leading African city on a reduced African rating system.
There are plenty countries and cities in Africa with better fiber (internet) infrastructure than South Africa, countries
with better roads, working traffic lights, less litter, better pavements (walk around Jhb CBD and try not twist an ankle falling into a hole), working street lights, the list goes on. If I were running the Johannesburg municipality badly, as the ANC have, I'd also want to make people believe I was doing a great job, despite all the facts showing otherwise.
The advertising is clearly not aimed at the content populace. They are content, so your advertising is a waste of money. I can see why, when there are daily service delivery protests, there could be a need to make discontent people aware that things are happening. Yes, we are building houses. Yes, we are building new roads. Yes, we are replacing bucket toilets. However most of the advertising I've heard is nothing like this: it doesn't detail the successes the government / municipality have had.
It could be that there is an element of egotism : Parks Tau wanting to hear his voice on the radio, wanting people to know he's running a great city, a well-run City - trying to get voters to believe the propaganda.
It may even be that money is changing hands, that a group of people in the inner-circle clique are benefiting financially from this advertising. I know you might think that a stretch, but given the ANC's performance over the years, it's a real possibility.
Here's the real question: Will the DA run adverts in Johannesburg to tell people how well they are doing, or will they knuckle down and get on with the job and demonstrate by doing that they are doing a good job, or will they, like the ANC, resort to Goebbels-like propaganda?
