Arriving at Union Station for the Inauguration I noted the first of what was to be a big Pepsi presence: a beautiful but blatant co-option of the Obama campaign.

I mean what has Pepsi (a mediocre tasting brown drink with no nutritional content and is probably bad for you) got to do with hope? Pepsi even uses the Obama line ‘Yes We Can’ on promos, string back packs and bus shelters.

OK, in that case I get it. Pepsi comes in cans.

Hope Hope Hope

The design of the Pepsi campaign is flawless, rich in color (created by TBWA Chiat Day which also uses Obama family look-alikes in their Tropicana ads) and incorporates the new more fluid red/white/blue ’smiley’ Pepsi logo, evolved by Peter Arnell (He denies he was inspired by the optimism of Obama. He designs in a vacuum).

Did anyone from either agency happen to mention to Pepsico that their campaign is built on ‘borrowed interest’ and more than just a little ‘inspired’ by Obama’s campaign and therefore might just a tad deceiving or confusing to the consumer? Do you even see the name Pepsi in the photo above?

Did I say, it is really beautiful. OK. Does anyone care about the co-option anyhow? Probably not President Obama: Whatever works.