Has Selfie Marketing Gone Too Far?

Marketers have always co-opted youth culture for their benefit, but perhaps the recent Samsung commissioned selfie with David Ortiz and President Obama crossed the line.

selfie

President Barack Obama is arguably the king of the selfie, as Ellen DeGeneres is its queen. But with Samsung’s recent disclosure that the Obama-Ortiz selfie was not a spur of the moment snapshot but a paid marketing stunt, The White House is considering a ban future presidential selfies.

David Ortiz, hitter for the Boston Red Sox, took the selfie with Obama a little over a week ago when the team visited The White House. It was later revealed that Ortiz had a deal with Samsung to capture high-profile pictures with celebrities to market the Galaxy Note 3 smartphone.

“Someone who uses the President’s likeness to promote a product… that’s a problem with The White House,” said Dan Pfeiffer, White House senior adviser, on CBS’ Face The Nation.

AW+

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Spring Special

Save 30% Off an ADWEEK Subscription Today!

View Your Options

Already a member? Sign in