Obama Can’t Lead The Show Without Blackberry

Posted by Bossip Staff

Livesteez is reporting that Barack Obama will not let go of his Blackberry, and an endorsement deal would be worth around $50 milli:

President-elect Barack Obama is having a hard time parting with the sleek, black gadget glued to his palm. “I’m still clinging to my BlackBerry,” Mr. Obama said Wednesday in an interview with CNBC and The New York Times. “They’re going to pry it out of my hands.” Obama acknowledged in a nationally broadcast interview Thursday that the Blackberry is a concern, “not just to the Secret Service, but also to lawyers.” White House officials have worried that a president’s e-mails can be subpoenaed by Congress and the courts, and may be subject to public records laws, according to Yahoo! News. While Mr. Obama is dreading the prospect of being forced to give it up because of legal and security concerns once he takes office, makers of Blackberry can’t complain, considering the free advertisement they’re getting out of the deal. Obama doesn’t have a contract to promote the handheld device, but if he did, it could be worth millions. “This would be almost the biggest endorsement deal in the history of endorsements,” said Doug Shabelman, the president of Burns Entertainment, which arranges deals between celebrities and companies. “He’s consistently seen using it and consistently in the news arguing — and arguing with issues of national security and global welfare — how he absolutely needs this to function on a daily basis.” Mr. Obama is an ideal marketing representative, other agents say — popular, constantly in the news and explicit about his attachment to the product. “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?” said Fran Kelly, the chief executive of the advertising agency Arnold Worldwide, who estimated that an endorsement by Mr. Obama would be worth $25 million. “It couldn’t have a better spokesperson.” Mr. Shabelman put the value even higher, at $50 million or more, because the endorsement is worldwide, according to The New York Times.

We feel the same way, Mr. President. SMH @ sleeping with our Blackberry right next to our heads.

Source