Marketers must be revelling in the announcement of the 2009 election results. They clearly showed there hasn’t been much deviation from South Africans’ post-apartheid frame of thinking.

The consumer “black box” (the theory of behaviourism), which is difficult to decipher, is a tool that, once harnessed, can enable companies or brands to eat into the market shares of their competitors – just as the ANC blanketed the supposed IFP stronghold province of KwaZulu Natal.

The theory attempts to understand the buyers’ decision-making processes – both individual and group processes. It studies characteristics of individual consumers – including demographics and behavioural variables – in an attempt to understand people’s wants. It also tries to assess the influence of groups, such as family, friends, reference groups and society in general.

The same application can be used by political parties to understand their supporters and ensure their vote is guaranteed. The ANC’s consumer “black box” is a simple one: it is the party that liberated the country and fought for the freedom. The DA’s is also simple: it opposes the inefficiencies (lacklustre civil service, corrupt government officials and disregard for law) by the ANC.

It’s a no-brainer – in other words, actual economic and social policies and how to address issues are insignificant – when it comes to choosing a party here. There are no grey lines yet, just black and white – literally and figuratively.

A lot was said about change in SA by the DA and the Congress of the People, which seemed to be charged-up by US president Barak Obama’s campaign. But trends in voting allegiance have stayed the same, leaving marketing executives with the easy task of labelling and defining their target markets for profit making. For the marketer, this means the attitudes, motivations and perceptions of the potential and existing clients has pretty much stayed the same – which makes marketing (market segmentation, pricing and positioning), a walk in the park.