A kind of magic: the political marketing of the ANC

Abstract

This book provides a completely new and fresh way of understanding the ANC, by looking at the way the organisation has marketed itself and built up a distinctive brand. The concern here is not so much with politics as with publicity, promotion and propaganda that is, with techniques of political persuasion.

In seven chapters we follow the development of the ANC's political marketing strategy from 1955 to 2011. The author makes a strong case for arguing that marketing has enjoyed a central significance within the ANC for a very long time. Through the use of previously untapped sources, he provides us with important insights into the strategy and decision-making process of the ANC at critical phases of its existence, right up to the election campaign of 2009 and the Mangaung conference.

The book challenges us to rethink the politics of the ANC and the future of its position at the centre of South African political life.