Why Unapproved Obama Ads Are Worth the Risk For Weatherproof, PETA

%%DynaPub-Enhancement class="enhancement contentType-HTML Content fragmentId-1 payloadId-61603 alignment-right size-small"%%The Weatherproof billboard is only the latest in a series of instances where companies are using unapproved images of the Obama family to sell their wares, services -- or causes.

The campaign has been "overwhelmingly positive," PETA founder and president Ingrid Newkirk tells DailyFinance. "It's a huge payoff for the message." The organization received a request from the White House Chief Counsel's office to take down the ads, Newkirk says. "We'd only take it down if Mrs. Obama herself made the request."
Courting ControversyIs Worth the Risk
Why are these organizations risking controversy and White House censure with their ad campaigns? Because there's very little risk and a huge upside to tying their brands to a First Family, says Derrick Daye, managing partner of The Blake Project and author of BrandingStrategyInsider.com.
"Weatherproof stands to gain a lot of awareness for their brand, maybe not so much from the billboard as from the White House request to stop using Obama's image," Daye says. "We live in an overcommunicated society and the mind is a limited container, so you have to take every opportunity you can."

Around this time last year, the maker of Beanie Babies, Ty Inc., introduced two new dolls: Sweet Sasha and Marvelous Malia. The company denied that the dolls were based on the First Family's own Sasha and Malia, but the White House wasn't buying it. After all, these were the first African-American dolls to be introduced into the Ty Girlz collection. Michelle Obama called the dolls "inappropriate" and Ty eventually renamed them.
The First-Family Phenomenon
The First Family has certainly proved to boost sales. J. Crew (JCG) sold out of a cardigan worn by Michelle Obama in April, while a dress she wore on The View sold out within two days.
"She has such a positive image that it's very hard not to feel good about her when you see her," Newkirk says. "She doesn't seem to take a step wrong, so it's very, very positive. It does influence consumers."
Nevertheless, PETA and Weatherproof may face a slight risk by associating themselves with a political figure that some people -- namely Republicans in this case -- may not support, Daye points out. "Choosing a political person to tie your brand to is not always a good idea because of polarization," he says.