Why are Samsung’s smartphones so dominant in the market when companies such as HTC, Nokia and LG have all released smartphones in the last year that are just as good if not better? A big reason is Samsung’s enormous marketing budget that drills images of Galaxy smartphones into consumers’ heads while crowding out its rivals’ devices. According to Reuters, Samsung’s marketing Death Star has spent an estimated $14 billion in 2013, an amount that’s greater than the entire gross domestic product of Iceland. If Reuters‘ estimate is right, it means that Samsung has more than tripled the roughly $4 billion it spent on marketing in 2012 and that it has spent more than quadruple what Microsoft and Apple together spent on marketing last year.

Prior to joining BGR as News Editor, Brad Reed spent five years covering the wireless industry for Network World. His first smartphone was a BlackBerry but he has since become a loyal Android user.