Things are heating up in the political realm of South Africa with elections around the corner; it is well known that many parties will begin rigorous campaigning to rally voter support and remind citizens of their democratic right to vote. Over the past few weeks, the Democratic Alliance has been extremely active in the mobile space campaigning via SMS and Active Voice Messaging. While this type of intense campaigning can produce beneficial results, many South Africans are left frustrated by the political parties constant SMS and call campaigns.
The DA has been aggressively campaigning with SMS and Active Voice Messaging Campaigns
Why the campaign upset so many consumers?
The DA had a two-part strategy in order to encourage recipients to register and to vote. This was done through calling, SMS campaigns and, what is also known as robocalling. When asked how they were able to attain such a vast range of recipients, Warwick Chapman, the executive director of information at the DA states that:
“We have collected the contact information door to door, we have received data directly from people, and we have sourced data from providers,” said Chapman.
However, the DA has received quite a bit of backlash against the intrusion through their SMS campaigns, which condemns other political parties such as the ANC and EFF. An example of this is the SMS sent which advocates that voters to
“keep the ANC and EFF out of the Western Cape”
When backlash was received, the DA switched its focus to Active Voice Messaging or as it is known, robocalling.
Chapman said regarding this:
“It is their job to run a campaign that informs voters about the DA and encourages them to vote. We know that the SMS and robocalling campaigns have been effective – that is why we do it,”.
How to unsubscribe from communication
Many voters have felt that these campaigns were too intrusive and did not allow for the approval of receiving these messages. However, the un-subscription process causes even further backlash for the party. This is due to the request from the party to provide your ID number, email and cellphone to unsubscribe.
This has led to an uproar into how much personal information the party needs. However, the party states that:
They state that this is to ensure your contact information “is registered with the correct person and nobody else”, and go on to explain that this is the only way to absolutely guarantee a permanent removal from their database:
“Our internal unsubscribe listing has an ID number, a cellphone number or email address and information about whether you wish to stop receiving SMS messages, emails or calls. Without this information, we cannot guarantee that you will be permanently removed from DA communication.”
If you wish to unsubscribe click on this link https://www.da.org.za/unsubscribe and follow the instructions to share your details.
However, if you do not wish to share personal details, click “unsubscribe” on any email they send, removing you from circulation.
Alternatively, you can reply “STOP” to any message you’ve received from the DA over the weekend.
What they could have done better to improve campaigns
Herman Mashaba of the DA has also admitted that since the launch of the messaging campaigns, not all voters have responded positively to some of the party's methods of campaigning such as sending SMSes to possible voters but he says the DA's message must be reinforced.
He adds that:
"We feel sorry for them, we can only apologise because we've a big number of people on our system but fortunate enough majority of the people appreciate this."
However, for these campaigns, the party could have attached an opt-in or out option for these consumers and spread their campaign over a range of mediums. These could include MMS or shortcodes. This allows for exposure and consciousness without the intrusion, which has left many frustrated.
Being tactical instead of robust
While SMS and robocalling might be extremely useful for broadcasting your messaging brands, political parties need to be tactful in their approach and the messaging they use. To reap the full benefit these technologies provide you need to manage it effectively with strategic messaging that speaks to the recipient directly.
Let us help you reach your customers
Let us deliver your message to your customers with our range of communication solutions. As experts on the African continent, we can devise the perfect communications strategy for your business. We're a trusted partner for many companies as our enterprise messaging, and value-added services offer our clients a robust, scalable solution with global reach.
To find out more about our services contact us here
Sources: