A very interesting #BSR delivered by @Wamagaisa on the question of rebranding for the @mdczimbabwe. Thank you Musaigwa for the important insights. I would like to offer my own opinion on the subject matter as it straddles deeply into my own area of study - Political Marketing.
I submit that Musaigwa made a brave step into the murky waters laden with and at the intersection of politics and marketing. This area is controversial because it is uneasy to detect. This is why it's unclear whether the Alliance needs a legal, political or marketing strategy now
To compound the matter, the law is also at play. In actual fact, the problem is rooted largely in law and politics but has been morphing into new and at times interlinked problems with time. From a political marketing viewpoint, the answer is with the voter.
@Wamagaisa's suggestions are progressive and pragmatic. I suggest, however, that the MDC goes to the voter to assess the feasibility of the move. Although the problem facing the @mdczimbabwe is a political problem, it has now become a marketing one.
As @jleesmarshment writes, marketing has permeated deeply into our politics. The onus is on political players to accept this and act accordingly. As a brand, the MDC is a very strong brand which has been built over time. Politically speaking, giving it all up is a challenge.
Key questions emerge. What do voters think about the possibility of changing the name? How practical is this given the looming by-elections necessitated by recent recalls? How well can this change be communicated in the context of political asymptotes and Covid19? At what cost?
Should a decision be made to rebrand it would be critical to look at the July 2018 electoral outcome which suggests that the brand Chamisa is/was stronger than that of the party. Given the structure of our government and how it functions, any new brand should match the leader.
Should this decision be made, I also suggest that the actual testing should continue by way of assessing by-elections. By-elections are a key component of market intelligence. So through by elections, the party can assess this further ahead of the next election.
