Why is Museveni everywhere?

Srdja Popovic, director of CANVAS, wrote the following ideas on the power of branding in a revolution. I highly recommend all to read his book: Blueprint for Revolution.

To understand the power of symbols, it is important to realize the power of brands. Take the example of cigarettes, as soon as you walk into the store, many people buy a Marlboro pack. They do this because they think it’s the best brand, they like to smoke it, but in reality it’s that for them the Marlboro brand is the most successful. Marlboro constantly tries to be in the picture, to strengthen its brand. If no one encountered it on a constant basis through symbols, it would lose power.

So it is with a dictator, which is like a brand. It’s critical to the dictator that he is considered the best option, and through marketing his brand, and the constant exposure to the people, he builds it up. It is therefore the intention of the resistance to market an alternative, better brand of “possible governance”. The less the population will see the brand of the dictator, and the more the brand of resistance, the stronger it will become. To have power, a brand/dictator needs to be aired. Boycotting and ignoring the brand will reduce the popularity quickly.

Often the brand is projected by its logo, an image that symbolizes that brand. It is therefore very powerful to use symbols in communication. The most effective creative activism is the one with using symbols. That is why stickers/posters with this design will be effective.