Take It Face To Face

All of Washington, DC was on some kind of natural high in the days prior to Inauguration 2009 and to aid in that high were the top 5 inauguration marketing campaigns.

Different company’s launched US ad campaigns to celebrate the inauguration of President Barack Obama. I think what these companies’s did, although to ensure their own success, was very patriotic and aided in the celebration of the inauguration of a new president.

Pepsi replaced O’s in words such as Hope and ‘All for One’ with the Pepsi logo, which is strikingly similar to Obama’s campaign logo for change, don’t you think? With all of the pro-Obama ads running through DC, these Pepsi ads blend right in, allowing Pepsi to capitalize on the Optimism in Washington, DC and be a part of the winning team.

Honest Tea came out with a limited edition flavor Barack Forest Berry to commemorate this historic event. President Obama does in fact drink Honest Tea, but the reason for this product redesign was to link people’s excitement and anticipation about the inauguration of a new President with their brand.

Dunkin Donuts joined the bandwagon and started making red-white-and-blue sprinkled “Stars and Stripes” doughnuts to join in the celebration. With all of the hope and energy coming from the inauguration of a new President, Dunkin Donuts wanted to add to that hope and energy, hopefully increasing their sales but also keeping the momentum of the city going.

In Washington’s Union Station, Ikea furniture was used to fashion a replica of the Oval Office. Ikea, whose slogan was “Embrace Change ‘09”, wanted to link Obama’s concept of change and economic responsibility to their own philosophy of affordable and practical furniture for all. Ikea’s display offered low cost suggestions for redecorating the most famous room in the White House.

Jones Soda celebrated the inauguration by creating a limited edition flavor of soda featuring President Obama called “Orange ‘You Glad for Change’ Cola.” On the back of the label their motto reads, “At Jones Soda, our mottos has always been’ Run with the little guy…Create some change. Well, you chose change, and Orange you glad that you did.” Jones Soda wanted this time to be commemorative and wanted people to recognize their brand as Obama supporters.

Has anyone else seen any good Presidential tie ins lately?

As many of you might know I live in the District. While we don’t have great sports teams, and we typically have oppressing summers and fridge winters, one thing we do have is politics; and lots of it. I typically stay away from talking about politics because I am a firm believer that your political views are your own and I shouldn’t think mine are better than yours.

One thing I do love talking politics about is advertising. I love telling my friends about the unique laws that come into play when political speech is on the line. The long and short of it is this; when it comes to political speech you can pretty much say anything you want and the law protects you.

All of that aside I love political ads. They often cross boundaries that normal ads legally can not and that makes them really fun. On to the point of this post:

Love him or hate him, I am not here to talk about politics, one thing you have to admit is that Barack Obama is using new media and alternate channels to try and move his base. Being an avid gamer, and following in game advertisements closely, and I was pleased to see Sen. Obama advertising in one of my favorite games, Burnout: Paradise City, instead of just bashing video games like most politicians. While I have the PS3 version and this ad appears in the 360 version it is great none the less.

As games and networks begin to blend we will see a convergence of gaming and advertising World of Warcraft, Playstation: Home are just a couple of examples how games are getting ads in front of a demographic with time and disposable income.

Have you seen any other in game advertisements that you think are interesting? Let me know I would love to see some more examples.

November 4^th has voters in a frenzy. The upcoming election is going to be huge, but if you can’t yet vote then or you want some rehearsal for the booth, head over to the Silver Diner and pick an omelette.

Blueplate ’08 has every breakfast eater talking! Voters across Washington, D.C. are getting practice for the big day. All they have to do is order an omelette! By making a simple breakfast order, citizens are casting votes and predicting who the next president will be.

The Silver Diner is giving Washingtonians this chance to show their support for their chosen candidate. Walking into the diner there is a huge sign advertising the two different breakfasts. The Chicago-inspired Obamalette contains ingredients of Chicago-famous deep dish pizza. It is made with mozzarella, basil, tomato, grilled onions and Italian sausage topped with parmesan and fresh herbs. The southwestern style McCainlette features honey barbequed chicken, cilantro, red and yellow peppers, and grilled onions topped with cheddar cheese. It is served with a side of salsa.

Both served with a side of home fries and a warm biscuit, making voting a little more tasteful. The results of this mini campaign for the candidates will be tracked and the results will be posted. The campaign is a great way to show support for your candidate and also to get a little preview of what the big day will bring.

How will you vote this year? Chicago or Southwestern style?