CC image courtesy of Ken Banks on flickr.
South African network operator MTN has rejected claims of political association with the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) controversial campaign, saying they were unaware of the connection.
HumanIPO reported last week on the reaction of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) to the opposition party’s “Know your DA” campaign, which included the distribution of MTN airtime vouchers carrying DA messages.
According to Robert Madzonga, chief corporate services officer at MTN, the company was unaware that MTN-branded vouchers carried DA-affiliated marketing.
“We were shocked to learn that our MTN-branded airtime vouchers had been associated with political advertising,” he said.
The executive explained the company’s policy and principles stand against the promotion of political or religious views.
“We take great pride in ensuring that our consumers see themselves in a brand they admire,” Madzonga stated.
Claiming the brand was Africa’s most valued, the statement issued mentions MTN’s ranking improvement on the Millward-Brown Brandz Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brand survey from 88th in 2012 to 79th in 2013.
MTN said it is focused on enhancing client experience by providing services with which consumers can relate to and “admire” without endorsing particular parties.
The operator feels it should not be affected by the beguiled conceptions surrounding the campaign and its grounds.
