"Magnificent Malia" & "Sweet Sasha"
President Barack Obama could accomplish absolutely nothing in the next four years and his presidency will be forever remembered by most as a time of historical change. The media is obsessed with the First Family and uses the fascination the public has with them to reel in viewership. One day they are stalking the First Dog and the next analyzing Michelle Obama’s right to “bare arms.” However, television media is not the only platform using the nation’s Obama obsession to their advantage. In late January, Ty, best know for their popular Beanie Babies, named two of their new Ty Girlz after First Daughters, Sasha and Malia. Ty denies the fact that they named the dolls after the girls, but eventually had to pull the dolls off the shelf because Michelle Obama was upset. The dolls that were sold are now currently going for $3,000 and up on eBay. Chia Pet tried to cash in by making the Barack Obama Chia Pet, but that was also pulled when many African Americans were outraged, calling it racist.
Advertisers are also using the Obama family to sell. An article on CNN.com in late January discussed how the need for African American female models that have uncanny physical similarities to the Obama girls are being requested to be in advertisements. In Harper’s Bazaar, a spread with Tyra Banks was featured with a six-year African American girl that looked like she could be Sasha Obama’s twin or first cousin. Pepsi is also doing it; their box is blue and new logo has a strong resemblance to the Obama Campaign’s symbol, using retrieval cues to get Obama supporters to buy Pepsi. The worst part is, Republicans point this out in their new boycott of the brand, which unintentionally makes Democrats rally around Pepsi more. Pepsi, who also owns Tropicana, used the Obama family values in their Tropicana Sqeeze advertisements as well.
This Tropicana advertisement has been accused of piggybacking off of the Obama family values.
Marketers and Advertisers are using the good feeling we have associated with the First Family to sell products. Pairing the brand they are trying to sell with characteristics associated with the Obama Brand, allows consumers to create an emotional bond with a brand by using consumers’ associative network. Now when consumers are shopping for the brands, retrieval cues consumers have developed toward the brand will cause consumers to have an unexplained liking toward the brand causing them to buy it.
For the time being the novelty isn’t going anywhere, maybe it will wear off and the Obama Brand will lose popularity, we can only guess what will happen next.
Sources:
Ty denies Obama girls inspired Sweet Sasha, Marvelous Malia
