Samsung's Obama Selfie Stunt: Manufacturer Tricked POTUS Into Advertisement, White House Objects (PHOTO)
Samsung's Obama swindle may have worked out for the company while they advertised their Galaxy Note 3, but the White House disapproved of the stunt. When the President welcomed the Boston Red Sox to the White House Tuesday to congratulate them on winning the 2013 World Series, designated hitter David Ortiz made sure to take a selfie with him, and Samsung used the image promotionally.
Samsung's Obama selfie took place Tuesday on the White House South Lawn. The Red Sox presented the President with an honorary no. 44 jersey, and then Obama stepped back to take a picture with the entire team.
"Come on, let's get a good picture here," the President said.
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"Actually, do you mind if I take my own?" Ortiz said, whipping out his Galaxy Note 3. "What an honor! Thanks for the #selfie, @BarackObama," he captioned the photo.
The selfie was retweeted over 40,000 times, resulting in some serious promotion for Samsung. Ortiz revealed to the Boston Globe Wednesday that the Korean electronics manufacturer had contacted him months prior and signed an endorsement deal with him this week.
"It was an honor to help him capture such an incredible and genuine moment of joy and excitement," Samsung said in a statement to the Globe.
However, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Thursday that the President and his administration object to "attempts to use the President's likeness for commercial purposes." Although he wouldn't say whether the White House had taken any action against Samsung, he made their stance clear.
"We have objected in the past … we object now," Carney reiterated, adding that the POTUS had no knowledge of Samsung or Ortiz's intentions.
This isn't the first time Samsung has orchestrated viral photos. At the Oscar's, they gave Ellen Degeneres a Galaxy Note 3 to take her the famous Oscars selfie with a host of celebrities, and the resulting photo was retweeted over 2 million times.
