Camera brands like Kodak were the powerhouses of the industry back in the point-and-click-and-print days. Then digital photography arrived forcing them into catch-up mode on the development side of the business. But don’t call Kodak a Luddite. It has remade their image as fun and even cool brands, thanks to social media.

Case in point: Kodak is taking some of the lessons it’s learning from social networks, namely the importance of sharing photos with your extended network, and putting it at the center of a new ad blitz, described in today’s New York Times.

It’s a smart move for the camera brand. Social Media is all about relationships and sharing. Now Kodak, the company that bases its philosophy off relationships and sharing, is taking the “Kodak Moment” to your favorite social networking sites.

To be sure, Kodak has embraced this concept of sharing for some time now, as its Facebook fan page with 59,500 Likes and countless photo contest opportunities can attest:

“Kodak believes the world will be a better place when people fully commit to deepening and strengthening their relationships. All our products are designed with one intention in mind: to find new and easier ways for people to use the power of imagery to connect, to share memories and to get closer. We know that sharing photos can help bring people closer together, bring comfort, or simply brighten a day.”

Elsewhere, Kodak’s social media presence isn’t your grandma’s cotton-bowed photo album. They have 16 Twitter accounts, each with several thousand followers, a YouTube channel with hundreds of thousands of views, and a massive Flickr photostream to name a few. All of their social media channels are impressively displayed on the corporate press site.

Looking at overall presence, Kodak is all smiles. Kodak is only of the three brands above that have budgeted for dedicated social media marketing, and will do so again with this upcoming campaign. To wit, the numbers for Polaroid and Canon were primarily made up of consumer-created fan groups, while Kodak’s are all created and operated by the company itself. Hint, hint Polaroid and Canon. There’s a lot to gain from guiding your Facebook fans to show off their creativity.

Social media technology is also making its way into Kodak cameras. For example, the Kodak Easyshare digital camera has a “share” button that allows you to instantly put it in a Facebook album and tag them (no computer needed). Rival Polaroid is also integrating these functions into its cameras.

Editor’s Note: Learn more how major brands are going beyond campaigns to have a more fruitful dialogue with consumers at the Social Media Influence conference. Register before May 1 to get the early bird rate for the Social Media Influence conference.