–Sharon Armstrong, Attorney
I recently returned from a trip to Thailand. In addition to enjoying the opportunity to experience the country’s natural beauty, to learn more about its history, and to enjoy lots of wonderful Thai food, I was charmed by the people. I was also reminded how pervasive American culture seems to be around the world. It was great to get away.
Yet, whenever I travel abroad, I am reminded of how much one can actually “get away.” One of America’s biggest exports (for better or for worse) is its culture and its brands. Both hotel snack bars and the corner stand selling fresh coconut water on the beach have signs for Coca-Cola (where even the cursive “C”s of the mark are admirably rendered in Thai). I counted at least three Starbucks in Patong Beach alone. And in addition to numerous signs for Wall’s (a UK-based ice cream brand), I found at least one Dairy Queen. It’s a small world after all, perhaps unsurprisingly so.
But, there was one logo I was not expecting to see.
Look familiar? Does this refresh your memory?
We’ve discussed the Obama campaign logos a few times before on the blog, here and here. In these other instances, though, we discussed the use of plausibly confusingly similar logos in connection with related goods and services. In contrast, the Serenity resort is using the logo in connection with hotel and restaurant services, which are arguably highly unrelated to the services offered by the Obama campaign.
What do you think of this use of the Obama logo, on these services, abroad?