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In search of the 5 innovators in the comms industry, i.e. the generation of makers and thinkers who will shape the future, I’ve also posted the question on LinkedIn. This spawned some interesting and overlapping answers. It seems like there are two distinct kinds of answers: the ones that point towards some of the most innovative agencies (recurring names are CP+B, Anomaly, Naked, r/ga, droga5, etc) and the ones that point towards media companies or owners (usual suspects here are Google, Apple, Nokia, Facebook, MySpace, Second Life, etc). The same trend occurs in the many emails I’ve received.

So the question arises: where does the current and future innovation in the industry truly come from? Is it driven by the most innovative agencies around the world, or by the players who are actually transforming and building the future communication platforms?

In essence, agencies are merely thriving on whatever is developed in terms of media & technology. They are essentially followers, rather then initiators. So there’s a strong argument that the likes of Google, Facebook and Apple have a more fundamental and long-lasting impact on the future of the advertising industry then any agency on the face of the planet, however forward-thinking or innovative they might be. Strangely enough, there’s only one non-agency person in The Guardian’s top 10 advertising list, and it’s the founder of Google, Eric Schmidt. But there’s a big difference between ‘power’ (what The Guardian’s list is about), and ‘innovation’ (what Thames & Hudson’s list is about). Also, much depends on how narrow or broad you define ‘advertising’. The Guardian’s list already looks much different if you look at the total Top 100 or even the New Media section.

I’ll keep you updated about the final list. In the mean time, further suggestions & names are more than welcome.