Dive Brief: 

• Samsung outspends Apple globally on marketing and has increased U.S. spending from $20.1 million to $617 million, compared to Apple's $627 million. 
• Recently, Publicis Groupe's CEO claimed the viral hit of Ellen DeGeneres' celebrity selfie at the Oscars was worth $1 billion — and the photo likely would have been taken with DeGeneres' iPhone rather than a Samsung Galaxy had Publicis not arranged a $20-million sponsorship deal.
• Apple has recently lost market share to the Korean-based firm and has hired four digital agencies in the past week to help stay competetive. 

Dive Insight: 

It's certainly debatable which company has the most innovative product, but Samsung seems to be the clear winner in innovative marketing. The Oscar selfie was a spontaneous event — and Publicis' claim of its billion-dollar worth is surely inflated — but the idea to integrate the Galaxy phones into the event was a smart move.