The Obamb Hope poster has gone from image to cultural phenomenon

The iconic Obama Hope Poster and images of Barack Obama on posters, shirts, stickers, and clothes was created by street artist Shepard Fairey. The Barack Obama poster has become a pop cultural phenomenon that people can’t seem to get enough of. This image spread quickly by viral marketing. What started out as a handout at a rally, spread everywhere within days. There is another illustration of Obama that is of Barack smiling, the message on that poster is VOTE, to encourage people to get out there and vote.

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About two weeks before Super Tuesday, the image was illustrated and in production. The screen printed posters were limited to a run of 700, 350 were sold and 350 Barack Obama posters were put up on the street. The money from selling the first 350 posters was used to print an additional 4000 and given out at political rallies. The poster went viral after being posted on Shepard Fairey’s web site.

The demand for the Shepard Fairey Obama poster seemed to fill a need for an iconic image in Obama supporters. Obama supporters were very hungry for obey posters and obey prints and very motivated to extend its reach. Finally there was an image that represented support for Obama. People wanted to put this poster in store windows, in their front yard and in their home windows to show their support for Obama and for the change he represents.

There is a lot of false information floating around the internet saying that Shepard Fairey is lining his pockets with the profits from the Obama hop poster. In reality, less than 2000 posters have been sold by Fairey, the rest were given away. Over 200,000 Barack Obama posters have been printed.

The Obama hope image has spread to stickers, shirts, sweat shirts, bus stop ads, and even 20,000 bicycle spoke cards that were spread throughout Oregon. In each case the same process was repeated. An initial printing was made, some sold some given away and the profits sent right back into printing more.

The goal was simple, get people to get out and vote. This is how the Obama hope poster went viral, from being a rally poster to an iconic phenomenon of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.

Posted: November 30th, 2008 under Obama Hope Poster.
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