Print

Mail

wiki links

Towns and traders cash in on Obama fever

A street vendor walks past a shop offering T-shirts with the portrait of US president-elect Barack Obama in downtown Hanoi on Thursday. PHOTO: AFP

From publishers in nearly every country in the world to Japanese comedians and African T-shirt sellers, the audacity of hope knows no bounds when it comes to cashing in on Barack Obama’s name.

The wave of optimism after the election of the first black US president caused a newspaper and book-selling boom. Some optimistic traders are asking for up to US$300 for a copy of the New York Times announcing the Democratic triumph on Nov. 5.

There are now Obama playing cards, pin badges, plaques, posters and paper dolls. There is an online video game — Super Obama World and also the ubiquitous pornography peddler who has put a US$10,000 tag on the www.sexwecan.com domain name.

Obama’s face stares out of posters in bookstores around the world where his works, The Audacity of Hope and Dreams From My Father, top bestseller lists. The “Yes We Can” Obama slogan is being copied by politicians and businessmen everywhere.

So entrepreneurs around the world have also decided it is all right to profit from Obama-mania.

Bosnia’s oldest clothing company, Borac, has started making Obama suits and says they are selling well in the country and neighboring Croatia.

“It’s a line of top quality business suits, and naming it Obama was an obvious choice because the president-elect is clearly a very elegant man and one of a few who knows how to wear a suit,” Borac manager Ahmet Curic said.

Curic said the company wanted to “pay respect” to the US for giving the firm funds to help restart production after Bosnia’s 1992-1995 war. The US embassy in Sarajevo says it has no problem with the name.

In the capital of the poverty-stricken west African state of Sierra Leone, traders and even school boys are hawking poor quality Obama T-shirts and pirate video cassettes of his victory speech.

Freetown retailer Bola Thompson said she has sold more than 2,000 Obama T-shirts since the Nov. 4 US presidential election, mainly to local youths.

“They are selling like hot buns,” she said, as she munched a large hamburger bought from the sales.

Another retailer said he had never seen such a commercial rush over a personality since Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s post-apartheid leader.

In Japan, comedian Nozomu Sato, 43, who is better known by his stage name Nocchi, is making a growing number of TV appearances impersonating Obama.

Nocchi has taken on a deep tan and a short hair-cut and mastered the English phrase, “Yes, we can!”

Sato says his career has shot up at the same remarkable speed as Obama.

“I’m very happy that he was elected as president,” Sato said. “Of course I’ll move ahead in the coming four years as a comedian.”

Two towns called Obama, which means “small shore” in Japanese, are already promoting their names and selling T-shirts, chopsticks and traditional sweets.

“It’s an incredible phenomenon and there’s not much Obama or the US government can do about all this,” said Robert Churnley, a London-based American international marketing consultant.

“As long as it all stays in relatively good taste and there are no scandals, he will stay the winner,” Churnley said.

“There could be a huge Obama industry over the next four years. But it has to be remembered that while some people could make a lot of money, a lot of people won’t,” he said.

Some audacious books that came out before Obama’s nomination are destined to slumber after catching the wrong wave. A Bound Man: Why We Are Excited About Obama And Why He Can’t Win, was stuck at No. 202,884 on the Amazon.com bestseller list at the weekend.
This story has been viewed 993 times.