Back in February we posted about how Barack Obama is much more than a well-spoken Democrat running for the American Presidency, he is a brand that is capable of meaning different things to different people, not only in The United States, but also around the world.

Having successfully positioned himself as a catalyst for “change”, his upbeat messages have been organically marketed through social media outlets like Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube, and his song produced by Will.I.Am and the accompanying ring-tones have been downloaded by millions. Not to mention, the infamous “Change” posters created by Shepard Fairey have generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in financial assistance for the candidate.

Arguably, Barack’s biggest competitive advantage is the ability of his ideas to be remixed and reinvented in new and creative ways. For the first time in American politics, we are witnessing a campaign that is truly “open source“.

Initially, critics doubted the effectiveness of this type of communication, in particular, Fairey’s posters. Foolish thinking! According to Creative Review, “The Obama campaign sold 70,000 posters plus stickers and T-shirts using the images created for them by Fairey, which equated to over $400,000 in revenue. The money was used to buy advertising for the candidate.” Although a small amount in the world of multimillion-dollar American politics, it’s nothing to be scoffed at!

Inspired by the success of Fairey’s posters, several other artists have taken to making their own. ISO50 released a highly sought after print, and a lesser known artist by the name of CRO created the site Go Tell Mama I’m For Obama, where he displays and promotes several of his own creations.

Another site we found allows you to key in a catch phrase and an image like the one below with your desired copy populates.

Creative Review also reported that, “Fairey said that he was nervous of getting involved initially, partly because he didn’t want to mess things up for Obama (he has been arrested 13 times after all: not necessarily a helpful association for a candidate) and partly because hitching your wagon to any political candidate runs the risk of ending in disappointment if, once in office, they turn out not to be quite the person you’d thought them to be.”

As an Obama supporter, I hope that if elected to office, he’s capable of implementing the “change” and “progress” he speaks so eloquently about. Otherwise, “brand Obama” and the third-party creativity it has spurred will be reduced to nothing more than word smithing, well-designed visual propaganda, and various merchandise ranging from buttons to sneakers.

Thoughts?