Obama merchandising madness: where will it end?
You can get cocktail glasses, cat collars ? even nail polish. Is this the future of political campaign funding?
If political merchandising once meant badly printed T-shirts, bumper stickers and mugs that fade in the dishwasher, America's 2012 election will change all that. The Barack Obama campaign's online store ? more like a supermarket ? puts it best: it's "merchandise madness".
You can kit your life out, Obama style. Fry some eggs with your branded spatula, fix up a martini in a 2012 cocktail glass or show your feline's allegiance with a Cats for Obama collar. Anna Wintour, meanwhile, has ensured your Obama-approved wardrobe stays fashion-friendly. Her Runway to Win initiative (a reprisal of the 2008 Runway to Change) has brands including Marc Jacobs, Rag & Bone and (Wintour personal favourite) Jason Wu provide product ? with Wu's T-shirt a bestseller.
While Alexander Wang's Let Us Be Clear hoody will appeal to political hipsters, Obama-endorsed Le Metier de Beaute nail polishes ? called Bo Blue, Victory White and Red-y to Win ? have become a talking point. Surely the first time a political campaign has got involved in beauty, fashion blogs are onboard. Refinery 29's message board is fired up and Coco Perez, Perez Hilton's fashion site, jests that "no matter which way you swing politically, we think Obama nailed it".
Possibly in more ways than one. With Shephard Fairey's Hope poster for 2008 selling for up to $6,000, merchandise is now more than an afterthought. It's also a way to raise funds. Rana Reeves, founder of branding agency John Doe, believes buying something, rather than making a donation, appeals to a "younger segment. Young people understand consumerism. They want something back and this becomes a transaction." While the nail varnish cost around $10,000 to produce, selling product like this is "one way of keeping low dollar supporters engaged with the campaign", says website Politico. The sets sell for $40 a go. With more than 97% of donations in February's total of $45m (�28m) coming from small donors, it all adds up.
Not to be outdone, other candidates are getting involved too ? Republican hopeful Ron Paul boasts speakers decorated with his face for sale, and some truly suspect shoes. Rick Santorum, though, might be master of the merch. His online store has three T-shirts compared to Obama's 50 ? but he gives away a sweater vest with every donation of $100. With Time reporting that this may have added $300,000 to his campaign, it seems there really is no accounting for taste.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/shortcuts/2012/mar/27/obama-merchandising-madness
pension lump sum pension transfer retirement age uk retirement calculator annuity calculator
posted by pension333 @ 14:01
0 Comments
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home