When marketing a product, it helps to have a big name co-signer endorse your gear. Think about what Jay-Z did for Ace of Spades, what Hiroshi Fujiwara did for Burton, or what Kanye does for pretty much every brand he puts on.
But there is a co-signer that's bigger than all of them, and he's about to get the job of his life in a few short days. Yup, Barack Obama is bigger than all of streetwear, rap, and even bigger than having Terry Richardson shoot your ad campaign. The closer we get to inauguration day, the more brands are slapping him on just about everything. In the spirit of good fun, we've compiled our favorite blatant Obama alignments for the sake of product promotion that have popped up on our radar in the past couple of weeks...
OBAMA STREETWEAR: Mishka
• It seems like a great idea to combine Black Bart, Obama, and Jeezy (as a nod to "My President"), but unfortunately this shirt just comes off as exploitative. Wait, is that supposed to be Kunle? Ohhhh Shit!
OBAMA BOOZE: Hennessey
• Hennessey has enjoyed success as a "hood spirit" for many years, but the company's latest Hennessey 44 was created "to commemorate the innaguration of the 44th president." Is this limited product an attempt to ride the coattails of the President-Elect all the way to the top of the bailout and become the new White House staple? It might be tough, since BO doesn't drink, and the booze isn't completely exploitative of Barry's new gig: Proceeds from the product (it doesn't say how much) is going to a scholarship fund for tomorrow's leaders.
OBAMA COMIC BOOKS: Marvel
• Is it cool that Obama is in the new Spiderman comic book, or is Stan Lee just a dick for trying to make money off of current events? Resale on these puppies is already at $50, so decide for yourself if you want to get in on round two.
OBAMA ICE CREAM: Ben and Jerry's
• Obama is joining the ranks of Neil Young, Stephen Colbert, and Jerry Garcia with his own ice cream flavor! Hm. No one likes pecan + new president = Home Run at the creamery! Just make sure you donate the cash profits though, guys. Make your money on the intangible marketing/PR alignment!
OBAMA FITTEDS: New Era
• People are going to like these, and they make perfect sense. Chicago, Obama, Jordan, we get it. But it just seems mad suspect when big companies get in on the game. "Part of the proceeds are going to charity," but come on guys. This is capitalism.
OBAMA BLING: 125th Street
• If you can't hustle and make money off of your surroundings, you're a, what is it? Oh yeah, a customer. The Jacob ripoffs with Barry's face on them on 125th street in Harlem are way better, but if you're reading this from the west coast, pick up a limited edition watch off of eBay. According to the sellers there are "going to be worth a lot in a few years!"
OBAMA SODA: Pepsi
• The debate is out on whether the new Pepsi logo has anything to do with the Obama campagin logo, but the slogans definitely capitalize on the similarities. We're going to say no on the actual design of the new Pepsi logo, but maybe it's the other way around? Does Obama prefer Pepsi to Coke?
OBAMA MONEY: *This one is just funny
• What do you think of when you think of the president-elect? Cold, hard cash, of course. You can buy "commemorative Obama novelty bills" at a lot of places, including Amazon, but our favorite is this eBay vendor becasue his, "Look Real! Feel Real! Smell Real!" Can you really say no to something like that?
