The first thought that comes to mind is that roughly two-thirds of South African adults either don't believe a word they read in newspapers or perhaps prefer not to believe what they read in them. Evident, surely, by the fact that in spite of a sometimes vicious and vitriolic attack on Jacob Zuma in the newspapers, the vast majority of voters gave him the nod anyway.
And, given the furore that is raised by consumers whenever an advertisement crosses the line into something misleading or offensive, is it possible that consumers place far higher credibility in the content of advertising than in editorial?
Then there is the question of consumer attitudes to corruption, fraud and crime. Could it be possible that the majority of adult South Africans are prepared to overlook corruption, fraud and crime just for the hope that election promises will be met and that their lives will indeed improve? Certainly given the high volume of sales of pirated products and stolen goods, as well as a common propensity to ignore the rules of the road, there are certainly a lot of indicators that seem to support the premise that personal gain takes precedent over moral issues.
The elections also supported the growing international trend of voters being swayed by the celebrity factor rather than dour political pragmatism. All of which seems to suggest that celebrity endorsements of products, brands and services could become more and more important.
And the big question, of course, is how does voter reaction in these election sits with global trends which point to consumer conservatism and lack of trust by consumers in all manner of institutions ranging from government to business, especially banking, and even religious organizations?
Could it be that consumers only take notice of things like dodgy business practices, political smoke and mirrors and other forms of social, business and political immorality, if it affects them personally? That in spite of all sorts of negative media coverage and bad publicity a government, a brand or a shop might receive, modern consumers will continue to support them until it impacts directly on them?
It would indeed be extremely interesting to see a market research company in South Africa translate the election results into some sort of useable market research. Or are politics and consumerism two such entirely different animals that consumers undergo a complete behavioural change when making decisions on these issues.
I sometimes get the feeling that the massive entrepreneurial spirit that pervades South African society has a distinct downside in the form of an every-man-for-himself-and-stuff-the-rest attitude.
It would explain a lot about the business and political environment in this country as well as the lack of will to fight back against crime and corruption.
