There's been a lot of "rebranding" going on in the United States lately.
From governmental politics to fast food corporations, it seems as though many entities are trying their best to capture the enthusiasm of the masses and the rapidly evolving mood of consumers.
If you're not aware, Kentucky Fried Chicken is undergoing a company facelift.
KFC wants to reach millennials by moving away from their fried chicken buckets, which was a staple in the 90s when families actually ate together and sat down at a table.
For comparative purposes, I'm going to refer to the GOP and KFC as "companies."
Also, I refer to both entities as companies because both are dealing with money while looking to increase their base (consumers and voters) in order to further the company's mission.
For the GOP, their mission is avoid another 2012 election outcome.
For KFC, their mission is stay relevant in an age where consumers are eating more healthy, looking for crops that are grown responsibly, ingesting animals that are raised humanely and seeking foods that don't adversely affect the climate.
Recently the GOP made an announcement that they would be rebranding the party in an attempt to reach minorities.
On April 5, KFC said they would be unveiling deep-fried boneless chicken pieces beginning April 14, 2013.
Spokesman Rick Maynard said,
"Younger people don't tend to be fans of bones - they've grown up with nuggets."
KFC says they are making these changes because the millennial generation, those in their 20s and 30s, are used to food on-the-go.
RNC Chairman Reince Prebius said the GOP would reach minority voters by creating a $10 million budget in addition to placing "boots on the ground."
The GOP and KFC are trying to reach a segment of the population they've struggled to attract recently.
What the GOP and KFC are having a hard time realizing is that their problems are related to their product, not the way in which their product is advertised and consumed.
Has KFC stopped to think that the reason people are choosing Chic-Fil-A and Popeye's is because their product tastes better (also, who can forget the horror stories of various and unsavory chicken body parts ending up in KFC meals)?
Has the GOP taken the time to understand why minorities and younger generations feel they can identify more with the Democratic Party instead of just giving up and saying that blacks who vote liberally are slaves on the "plantation?"
It's admirable to see a party or a company realize that it needs to evolve with time, but it's not a good use of anyone's time and money if no real effort is being put forth to understand a particular segment of the population.
It may have worked in the past to repackage a product without changing the product's main ingredients, but populations are becoming more conscious of their everyday choices and the global impact of those decisions.