Glancing through Creativity Online’s annual list of the 50 most inspiring and influential creative personalities of last year, we couldn’t help but notice how important social media innovation has become in the creative industries.

The founders/creators of Posterous, Foursquare, Tumblr and Spotify all get a nod and so does major brand world that might once have been imagined only as large advertising campaigns – namely Forsman & Bodenfors Facebook showroom work for Ikea, DDB Stockholm’s inspired Fun Theory work for Volkswagen and what we call the “beyond campaign” approach of Ford and its launch of the new Ford Focus. (On a personal note it was also great see our friends Matt Ross and Matt Oxley from Tribal DDB honoured for their work for Hasbro).

Too many times creative agencies and their clients are wowed by their own, um, creativity and not by the real, identifiable interests of the customer. This socially-smart work demonstrates that creativity and understanding customers’ needs are not mutually exclusive.

They also point to a truth that all the major brands are beginning to understand. Social media communities expect to be treated as equals by brands whether it’s being entertained in a promotional venture or offered support through customer service. By combining creative thinking with community participation (creative they can use for want of a better term) brands win kudos from and create a connection with their customers in a way no print or TV ad campaign can achieve.