The author is presenting the issues in this article from the lenses of marketing.
He seeks to promote marketing principles and the importance of marketing strategies in the political discourse of this country.
In this article, both Dr. Bawumia and Professor Naana Opoku Agyemang are classified as downstream products that are going to support the upstream products (His Excellency Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo and Former President John Dramani Mahama).
There are different types of consumer products in marketing. In this article, the author limits himself to four types; Convenience, Shopping, Specialty, and Unsought products.
A convenience product is a product that takes little thought, it’s routine, purchased often, appeals to a large target market, and which consumer purchases with little planning.
Shopping product is a type of product that requires consumer research and comparison of brands.
Specialty products are products with which consumers are concerned with their brand image and the quality of their purchases.
With Unsought products, the consumer has little knowledge about or does not normally think of buying, and the purchase of such arises due to lack of desire.
Later in this article, the pros and cons of both Bawumia and Naana Opoku Agyemang will be likened to various types of products.
The main product of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) going into the 2020 elections is Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo, the sitting President, with Dr. Bawumia as the supporting product.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has John Mahama as their main product with Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang as their supporting product. Both parties are campaigning to win Ghanaian customers (Voters).
The customers (voters) are classified into seven (7) groups in this article.
They are:
1. Lookers. These are customers (voters) who are “just-looking”. They’re not after anything in particular. It is likened to people who go window shopping; they chance on something interesting and they may buy it or will continue to enjoy their stroll, looking around at various products. Even if they do not buy anything, they are effective in recommending products (candidates) to friends and family who might be serious buyers (voters).
2. Bargain Hunters. These are customers (voters) who have heard what the company’s (candidates) are promising. They want to see who can promise and deliver to this vis-a-vis what they see as the best bargain deal.
3. Buyers. These are customers (voters) who are out there with a mission. They know exactly what they want, and they are out to get it through their votes.
4. Researchers. These are customers (voters) researching. They have a general idea of what they’re after, but they want to compare options. They include but are not limited to civil society organizations, the media, academics, etc.
5. New customers. These are customers (voters) that are relatively new. They have not voted before. The majority of them are those who have just turned 18years. They want to find out more about what the candidates have for them.
6. Dissatisfied customers. These are customers (voters) who were once with a party but for some reason, they are dissatisfied and do not intend to vote for their party. They want their grievances heard and assured of a better outcome if they stick to the same party or are looking at some other party persuading them to vote for them.
7. Loyal customers. These are customers (voters) who are the parties best. They are with the party came rain or shine and they will vote for the party.
The objective of this article (part 1) is to look at the track record of Bawumia and Naana Opoku Agyemang in both their political and non-political life.
Their pros and cons as (complimentary tickets) supporting main products (Nana Addo and John Mahama), their influence on the main ticket in the upcoming elections.