Whether you love her or hate her, everyone knows who Kim Kardashian is. I personally view her as a reality star and businesswoman: she has many different product lines, a hugely successful mobile app that has raked in $43 million, and several different reality shows. While some may counter that Kardashian is simply famous for being famous, or may question her choices or values, there is no denying that she has built up a hugely strong, influential brand that has made her business ventures very successful.

Most recently, Kardashian teamed up with Paper Magazine in a mission to “Break The Internet”, starring in their Winter issue in a series of risqué cover shots (link is NSFW).

Backlash and controversy aside, and just focusing on the digital marketing side, the partnership and magazine covers generated staggering traffic stats for Paper. According to a rep from the magazine, Paper’s traffic hit 6.6 million page views with 5 million unique visitors as of November 12th. This is just direct traffic to the website, and not including the billions of impressions generated via social media or news channels.

Considering the fact that Paper Magazine was not all that well known before the article, I would say that their mission to #BreakTheInternet was a success. They chose one of the strongest, most famous brands in existence (both online and off)- a brand that knows exactly how to work social media to her advantage, generates a frenzy just by leaving her house, and represents the pinnacle of fame and stardom. So while there may have been more modest ways to achieve virality, there is no question that their campaign was effective.

If I wanted to extend my brand’s reach, gain virality, and make an unforgettable impression, I would also have chosen Kim Kardashian as the person to do that with.