William Friedkin, an Academy Award-winning film director and former producer of the ceremony, expressed this sentiment at a conference in New York in 2009, describing it as "the greatest promotion scheme that any industry ever devised for itself.
wˈɪljəm fɹˈiːdkɪn, ɐn ɐkˈædəmi ɐwˈɔːɹdwˈɪnɪŋ fˈɪlm dᵻɹˈɛktɚ ænd fˈɔːɹmɚ pɹədˈuːsɚɹ ʌvðə sˈɛɹᵻməni, ɛkspɹˈɛst ðɪs sˈɛntɪmənt æɾə kˈɑːnfɹəns ɪn nˈuː jˈɔːɹk ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd nˈaɪn, dᵻskɹˈaɪbɪŋ ɪɾ æz "ðə ɡɹˈeɪɾɪst pɹəmˈoʊʃən skˈiːm ðæt ˌɛni ˈɪndʌstɹi ˈɛvɚ dɪvˈaɪzd fɔːɹ ɪtsˈɛlf.