The Obamas Unofficial Product Endorsements

Posted on January 15, 2010 by William

The Obamas do have a certain hipness to them that we haven’t ever seen in the White House. Consequently both President Obama and the First Lady’s images are popping up in advertisements, from apparel to social causes.

President Obama’s likeness is being used to schill Weatherproof jackets in Times Square. Outerwear clothing company Weatherproof used an image of the President at the Great Wall of China for their Times Square billboard ad without asking the proper authorities first.

Taken in Badaling, China, Weatherproof licensed the photo and ran it with the tagline “A Leader In Style.” The White House said Wednesday that it will ask Weatherproof to remove the billboard because the ad misleads by suggesting it was approved by Obama or the White House, which has a long-standing policy of disallowing  the use of the President’s name and likeness for commercial purposes.

Weatherproof president Freddie Stollmack said he first saw the photo in a newspaper while Obama was visiting China last November. The coat looked familiar, so Stollmack looked harder and found his brand’s logo. But Weatherproof did not seek permission from the White House, and Stollmack said he did not believe it was necessary to do so since the billboard does not say Obama endorses the product.

“He didn’t come to us. It’s just a great looking jacket on a great looking president,” Stollmack said. Weatherproof did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the White House request to remove the ad. Earlier Wednesday, Stollmack had said he wasn’t concerned about the president’s response and thought the White House should congratulate his company on making Obama look so good. “We did this in good faith,” Stollmack said. “This is an image that we thought would enhance the president of the United States.”

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