It looks like that Ortiz / Obama selfie didn’t have the proper clearance before going viral. As it turns out, the White House frowns upon the use of the president’s likeness for commercial purposes — which is exactly what Samsung had planned when they retweeted the “spontaneous” photo.
Big Papi, Big Selfie. RT @DavidOrtiz What an honor! Thanks for the #selfie, @BarackObama pic.twitter.com/3I7ckLjquf
— Samsung Mobile US (@SamsungMobileUS) April 1, 2014
Ortiz says that the photo was not part of the sponsorship deal. It’s unclear if the White House is in touch with Samsung to talk things over.
Source: WSJ