When Alan Cash beat Naa Nana to the rhythms of political competition, a new wave emerged from the traditional politicking- branding in politics. Since then, all parties in the opposition have given their campaigns a boost with image and advertising expertise. Some have got communications experts who, like Sara Palin, are no more than a blunder to themselves and the presidential wannabes. They all needed positioning experts!!!

Good, Better, Best,

Better has proven to be a failure in marketing. It seems to be the mantra of losers. Best is subjective and can only be good in the eyes of the beholder. When Rawlings was downsized by the Ghanaian electorate, a good man came in... Good enough for ending the boom story. His third term appears promising with a better man, who undeniably is a bit louder with a pirated tag line... 'We are moving forward ever, backwards never'. However, better is now claimed by the NDC. Did NPP in any way play into this? Leveraging on an opponent's positioning and riding on their back has never been a good tactic. Their name will surely been mentioned to explain yours. Did I hear someone say that they are the groom whose best man is Naa Nana? Their honeymoon may soon turn out to be a hangover...

So far the campaigns have somewhat focused on personalities: The Best Man; A Better Man; Edwumawura; The Groom and the Bride... and what do they stand for? Remember Obama? It was never actually about him (to paraphrase from his election night speech). The new Brand America is 'CHANGE' at www.change.gov! Can the new Brand Ghana be any of the following: 'We are moving forward', 'The Best Man for Ghana', 'A Better Man for A Better Ghana', 'Edwumawura', 'Development in Freedom', or 'Forward Ever, Backward Never'?

Kuffour will always stand for Leisure Travel in spite of that his very little commitment to developing and promoting Ghana Tourism. Naa Nana, presently suffering from the Bush factor, has dropped his designer suits with aristocratic accessories for a political suit. He's still not ready for the gutters. He definitely needs an overall. What does he stand for? And his sermon... 'Remember Lot's Wife.'

Mills has literally come out of the mill stronger from a marionette to a puppet. He will definitely need some Rawlings jabs to Palin him very soon. What does he stand for? Return to Communism after a Revolutionary Capitalist Recession...very obvious.

The last time I checked, CPP had stopped moving forward, except one hotelier with a dog at the front desk...and that's really an alternative! Like Rawlings and the yoko gari seller, his biggest beef is with ECG for taking over his power cables and transformer at Elmina. Obviously, CPP needed some cash injection to keep it moving forward. NPP does not need a cash injection to move forward, a couple of kangaroos all the way from Australia and some advice from Michael Essien will do...it is a victory dance not a war dance, Naboola!

Forward never

Ali Baba is probably more worthy of recognition for owning the word 'theft' than Nana's ownership of the word 'forward'. It is true that CPP has not hammered on it consistently as Obama did with the word change, thereby losing its positioning in the minds of the electorate. Hijacking the opponents positioning did no good for Hilary, MacCain and Palin. The me-too approach is an inferior tactic that opponents use when they are down. Certainly, Naa Nana is not the best Ghanaian and neither is Mills a better Ghanaian...talk about his health... From Eshie wurado to One Touch to Best Man to the Forward factor to I Believe in Ghana. Well, you have no choice, NaGhana. You were born Ghanaian with a cockney accent, and that hardly makes a religion or faith. Does Country first sell? McCain would be President! Lessons need to be learned from Pepsi Cola's inconsistent positioning. And about campaign logos, Naa Nana's four eyes seem to do the trick. From some military red stars on his website to his profile with a Ghana flag flying across his shoulder to his batakari feature, his logic for facts are beyond what ordinary Ghanaians need. We know the facts and the figures, yes. What next?

Chucking the Mills, a buy-in from Kofi Wayo, a business comedian of sorts, and the hijacking of Obama's success are both a flagrant display of the lack of ideas in the Mills Camp. Only bad policies engender the need for 'Change' not the opposite. 'Sankofa' has never been positioned better for Mills.

Change has come with CPP's 'Alternative Solutions'. For the presidential debates, reminding Ghanaians of Dr Kwame Nkrumah and Ghana's independent road to freedom, development and growth in words and appearance was itself a winner. 'You've heard them all, now listen to the alternative...' was Dr Nduom's message of change. NanaChange will offer President Kuffour a third term in office; MillsChange will offer Ghanaians an aftertaste of memories better long forgotten; EdwumaChange has got nothing but Alternative Solutions, the real CHANGE. But beware of Animal Farm! Dr Kwame Nkrumah was no angel... CPP somehow feels that on a moving train, one has no choice but to go in that direction. The driver, however, can be changed in the process in order to affect the decision-making machinery. Chooboi may sound populist, but it is more emotional; so keep branding Dr Nduom populist, socialist, the man with 'catchy rhetoric and charm' and with 'mass populist appeal' and he'll soon be the change Ghanaians want. Remember McCain's tragic rollout of his brand...his 8th and last was an attack on Obama: 'Obama is a Socialist'.

Nduom is eventually turning out to be the man of the people, [no Kojovi the carpenter here]. He is moving forward with the tag line of CPP: 'Forward Ever, Backwards Never' ...Remember Dr Kwame Nkrumah, President Rawlings, President Nelson Mandela, President Elect Barack Obama and worst of all, Jacob Zuma. Who has been more populist? Mr. Obama was selected as Advertising Age's Marketer of the Year by the executives attending the Association of National Advertisers' annual conference in Orlando in October 2008. It has got nothing to do with logic and facts, is all about positioning and branding!

CPP is shifting the battlefield. NPP is now burning its energy on denouncing the CPP flag-bearer, Nduom as populist with low expectations using all the logic in the world and thinking it will do the trick.

The elephant, it appears, is riding on the back of the cockerel and caught up with a dragging umbrella tailing in the wind surf.

NPPs bane in this Election is not NDC, it is CPP!!!