Advertisers play off Obama success

By Kelly House

Created:
01/19/09 12:37am

Last updated:
01/19/09 12:38am

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Washington, D.C. – Is it just me, or is Pepsi’s new logo oddly similar to Barack Obama’s campaign logo of a blue “O” with red and white stripes through the middle, reminiscent of the American heartland?

I don’t think it’s just me.

Ever since I saw the new Pepsi logo while my aunt was sipping from a can at a summer family function, I suspected that Pepsi was riding the presidential election wave. But upon arriving in D.C., my suspicions have been confirmed.

Check out one of the many Pepsi signs we’ve seen in the D.C. subways and see for yourself.

And Pepsi’s not alone. It’s amazing how quickly marketers have jumped onto the presidential election bandwagon.

IKEA also is pretty blatantly riding the Obama wave with their recent advertising campaign, “Embrace Change ’09,” which uses parodies of Obama’s campaign slogans to sell home furnishings.

The campaign is centered around a mock-oval office in Union Station in Washington, D.C., which is furnished with IKEA components. Fans of the brand can also visit www.embracechange09.com to design their own Oval Office.

To top things off, Ben & Jerry’s has created a new addition to its ice cream repertoire: “Yes, Pecan!” The newest flavor, celebrates the defining slogan of Obama’s campaign (“Yes, We Can”). Call me crazy, but the mixture of buttery ice cream with pecan bits sounds oddly similar to the traditional pecan praline flavor. What’s up with that?

Another common slogan of Obama’s was “Change has come.” Couldn’t Ben & Jerry’s even think of an original flavor to bandwagon off Obama’s campaign success?

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Current and former State News reporters blog about their preparation and coverage of President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration on Jan. 20.

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