A look into Samsung’s brilliant product placement plan.

Ellen DeGeneres has set a new record for the most re-tweeted tweet of all time and broke Twitter in the process. During the Oscars last Sunday, Ellen took a selfie with many A-list stars sitting in the audience, including Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Kevin Spacey. She had Bradley Cooper take the photo, which she captioned, “If only Bradley’s arm was longer. Best photo ever. #oscars”.

While you can’t tell in the selfie, while watching the Oscars live it was

blatantly clear that Ellen took this selfie with a Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Although the Samsung product wasn’t explicitly mentioned in the tweet, the product placement was on point.

According to the Wall Street Journal, it’s speculated that Samsung spent $20 million on ad time this year for the Oscars. But what’s important to zone in on is that Samsung didn’t “win” the Oscars with the ads they ran during commercial breaks, but instead with their product placement through Ellen using their phone constantly throughout the show. With their $20 million Samsung got more than air time. The company purchased a sponsorship and ad pact for the Oscars with ABC, the TV network airing the show, Samsung and its media buying firm Starcom MediaVest negotiated to have its Galaxy smartphone integrated into the show. And during rehearsals, Samsung executives trained Ellen on how to use the Samsung Galaxy.

Because of Ellen’s tweet, Samsung gained media attention as well as the subtle hint of stars (who people admire and copy constantly) using their products.

Although reports have come out since the Oscars of Ellen tweeting backstage with an iPhone, I still believe that their tactic was well received. I also believe that this displays how in our modern world social media is becoming more powerful than traditional advertising.