President as pitchman: Obama image used in ad (Outerwear company Weatherproof)

Yesterday it was the First Lady, today it is the President...

President as pitchman: Obama image used in ad

By SAMANTHA CRITCHELL, AP Fashion Writer Samantha Critchell, Ap Fashion Writer – 8 mins ago

NEW YORK – A larger-than-life President Barack Obama became a presidential pitchman Wednesday on a Times Square billboard that used his photo without permission.

Outerwear company Weatherproof used a recent news photo of the president in front of the Great Wall in Badaling, China, for the advertisement, with the tagline "A Leader In Style."

White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton said Wednesday that the White House has a long-standing policy disapproving of the use of Obama's name and likeness for commercial purposes.

Obama stands alone in the image and is captured in a striking, rugged pose. Weatherproof president Freddie Stollmack said he first saw the photo in a newspaper while Obama was on his trip to China in November. The coat looked familiar, so Stollmack got out a magnifying glass and found the brand's logo.

The photo was taken by Charles Dharapak of The Associated Press and the company purchased the right to use it from AP Images, the newsgathering organization's commercial photo arm. The AP agreement with Weatherproof required the company to seek any necessary clearances, said Paul Colford, a spokesman for The AP.

But Weatherproof did not seek permission from the White House, nor does it believe it was necessary to do so since the billboard does not say Obama endorses the product.

more...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_fea_fashion_presidential_billboard


This photo released by AP Images and Weatherproof Garment Company shows President Obama wearing one of their coats while in China.
(AP Photo/Weatherproof Garment Company,AP Images)

Such style, such grace. So proud of our President.

Otherwise, why do businesses have anyone in their ads sign releases?

and his photos are public domain, so maybe there's been no law broken or something. :shrug: