Selling Obama at the DNC
CHARLOTTE—The American economy may or may not be a victim of weak demand, but this week's Democratic National Convention has highlighted the existence of a booming local market in Obama-branded, well, everything.
If you can print an image of Obama's face on it, someone has, and they've brought it to Charlotte. I've seen buttons, mugs, calendars, posters, newspaper covers, framed photos, keychains, and a seemingly endless array of T-shirts.
And what's especially wonderful is that it's all for sale: Everywhere you walk around the convention area, you see commerce driven by Obama's celebrity and proximity. After the jump, a brief tour of the Obama-branded stuff for sale at the DNC.
Most of the shirts for sale feature prominent images of Obama's face. But a few focus on his name. I don't think I've seen a single shirt that could be described as subtle.
Obama is the focus. But his entire family gets the T-shirt treatment as well:
For those who aren't content to simply wear presidentially branded clothing, there are calendars and children's books:
And although it's not an Obama-branded product, the "99 Percent Granola" I found at a for sale at a snack table does show a certain genius for audience-specific marketing:
