Over at Collaborative Marketing Services, they’re asking a question sure to warm the collective hearts of the buzzword-compliance set: What is open source marketing?

Great question. Unfortunately, I’m not sure they have the full answer. OK, I am sure, but I’m being professional.

The article’s thesis goes something like this: More choice in the marketplace means monolithic brands — and the equally monolithic media buys used to support them — are going the way of the dodo. (Insert Cluetrain-ish stuff… insert Seth-like stuff… etc.)

There are good points in there, but much of it has a dotcom-heyday feel. More importantly, they focus on the community-driven aspect of open source software, but don’t spend nearly enough time discussing how explicit licensing and copyright choices allow these communities to flourish.

I’m not sure there’s such a thing as open source marketing — at least, I wouldn’t put that name on any of the trends now unfolding. Now, open source branding? That’s another matter. It exists today, often as a byproduct of fast-growing online companies or communities. And it’s a great example of branding backward.

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