The Obamas Keep Fending Off Unofficial Product Endorsements

Article written by: Andre Sanchez
Posted on: January 15, 2010

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.”

Still doesn’t mean you use an image as the president’s without permission, buddy!

Meanwhile, Michelle Obama is receiving the same treatment from PETA with their latest campaign:

Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Carrie Underwood and Tyra Banks all refuse to wear real fur. PETA unveiled their “Fur-Free and Fabulous” ad. If you live in Washington, D.C., you’ll see it at the Metro stations. It’s also on PETA’s website.

The White House maintains that PETA had no right to use the image of the first lady in its new ads. PETA president Ingrid Newkirk insists her organization wouldn’t have sought Obama’s consent for the ad in the first place because it knows that she can’t make such an endorsement (so doesn’t that mean it’s a no?).

“The fact is that Michelle Obama has issued a statement indicating that she doesn’t wear fur, and the world should know that in PETA’s eyes, that makes her pretty fabulous,” Newkirk said in a press statement.

PETA senior vice president Dan Mathews added that Obama should be flattered. Introducing the campaign, he said: “By rejecting fur, these style icons demonstrate to the world that fur is old-fashioned and cruel.” No, I think it’s you that should be flattered, Dan. Plus you might have to take these ads down!

There have been a lot of racist images mocking both Obamas, so at least this is something relatively positive. Now for those approval ratings, that’s another thing altogether!