Obama Image Used in Times Square Billboard Without Permission Updated January 7, 2010 7:37am

President Barack Obama's recent diplomatic tour through China became fodder for an ad in Times Square for the jacket company Weatherproof. (DNAinfo/Jennifer Glickel)

By Jennifer Glickel and Nicole Bode

DNAinfo Staff

TIMES SQUARE — President Barack Obama became an unwitting billboard model Wednesday, when a clothing company posted a massive ad showing him wearing one of their jackets during a recent diplomatic tour.

Obama is seen standing before the Great Wall of China with his hands dug into both pockets of his Weatherproof Ultra-Tech jacket, above the caption, “A Leader in Style.” The picture was snapped during Obama’s trip through China in November, the ad explains.

The photogenic Commander-in-Chief fits in among the supermodels filling the Crossroads of the World, but there’s only one problem: the company never bothered to check with the White House before commissioning the ad, the Associated Press reported.

“We did this in good faith," Weatherproof president Freddie Stollmack told the AP. "This is an image that we thought would enhance the president of the United States."

A company spokesman said they didn’t ask for Obama’s permission because they made no claims he endorsed the product.

It was unclear how long the billboard would stay up at 7th Avenue between West 41st and 42nd streets.

By Nicole Bode, DNAinfo.com

Follow Nicole on Twitter @nicolebode