• by Wendy Davis , Staff Writer @wendyndavis, September 27, 2005

The Internet hasn't just transformed how people communicate, find information or access media, said Peter Weedfald, senior vice president, consumer electronics and North America corporate marketing at Samsung Electronics, Inc., speaking at OMMA East in New York City this morning.

The Web has brought changes that go beyond how companies approach advertising, said Weedfald.

The transformation is far more fundamental, he added. The cross-marketing and branded entertainment opportunities available online have affected Samsung's very definition of itself.

"It's a paradigm shift for us," said Weedfald. "Are we an advertising company? A marketing company? A technology company? What are we?"

For instance, Weedfald described how Samsung promoted Jon Bon Jovi's album, "This Left Feels Right," by Webcasting a live concert that took place in Atlanta last November. Samsung also used its partnership with the rock star to hawk its MP3 player.

Weedfald also related the steps Samsung took to promote the movie "Lord of the Rings," such as running an online trailer branded with Samsung.

And, in a startling admission, Weedfald told the audience that Samsung eschews search. In fact, he said, the company has never bought paid search links.

Typing "Samsung" into Google and Yahoo! search engines confirms Weedfald's assertion; no Samsung ads were triggered by the keyword -- though at least one company appeared to have purchased the "Samsung" name and used it in a url, an arguable violation of the Samsung trademark.

Of course, the specifics of Samsung's strategy are fairly unique. But other companies surely can draw on the broader principle -- that online marketing offers the flexibility to experiment. And where that experimentation ultimately will lead, at least according to Weedfald, is still anybody's guess.