Obama's BlackBerry Passion Worth $50M

Barack Obama won't nab any cash for his frequent endorsement of his beloved BlackBerry—but if he weren’t a public servant, his thumbs-up could be worth as much as $50 million, the New York Times reports. “This would be almost the biggest endorsement deal in the history of endorsements,” said one marketing expert. “The most powerful man in the country is saying, basically, I can’t live without mine,” said another.

“You always want the celebrity to be a good fit with your brand, and is anybody considered a better communicator right now than Barack Obama, or a better networker?” asked an ad exec. The gadget is doing its part for the president-elect, too: His love for it shows he’s a regular guy, “and it positions him as a next-generation politician,” the executive added.
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