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Obama look-alike campaigns for car buyers in TV commercials
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Candidate
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| Contributor | DFWDem |
| Last Edited | DFWDem Jun 12, 2008 11:23pm |
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| Category | General |
| Media | Newspaper - Dallas Morning News |
| News Date | Friday, June 13, 2008 05:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | By DANIEL MONTEVERDE / The Dallas Morning News
You can afford a brand-new Kia. Barack Obama says so.
Sort of.
For about a month, several ads for a Dallas-area dealership chain, Central Kia, have been hitting the airwaves with a look-alike of the likely Democratic presidential nominee telling "ordinary folks like you" that the car is within their reach. On Wednesday night – the last day the commercials were to air – one version led off Comedy Central's The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, exposing the clip to the rest of the country.
With pursed lips and wide eyes, Mr. Stewart sat silent for a moment after the 30-second spot.
"Unbelievable. First of all, $11,888? For a mid-sized SUV with five-star safety rating, [and] the best warranty in the business? He's practically giving those Kia Sorentos away!" Mr. Stewart quipped.
Noting that Mr. Obama hasn't won a thing yet but is already being used to hawk products, he added: "That is an honor that we have only bestowed on Presidents Washington and Lincoln."
Mr. Stewart's point wasn't lost on Rich Hanley, a communications professor who studies politics and pop culture at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.
"It was funny in the sense that Obama's not even officially nominated, much less elected. But he's become a pop culture icon," Mr. Hanley said.
"The power of Barack Obama's image is enough for people to stop what they're doing," and the dealership is hoping to cash in on that draw, he said.
The script was modeled after Mr. Obama's refrain of "Yes, we can" from speeches promising change during the primary season. |
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