Great ads for Samsung should help everyone else

It can be argued that the iPhone helped launch the other smartphone companies because of innovative advertising and buzz-building. Samsung may end up playing the same role with the smartwatch, though it’s not as likely to be as successful as the iPhone.

It may sound strange, but Sony and others — which perhaps include Apple — stand to win from Samsung’s efforts to promote its new Galaxy Gear smartwatch.

Samsung’s first TV ad spots were published this Sunday and, since the Gear sits within a relatively new category of device, they focused heavily on the concept behind smartwatches, with little mention of the product itself — that’s represents a pre-launch platform for future rivals.