Embracing the Era of Open Source Marketing

Abstract

Traditionally, marketing has been about command of the media and control of the message. Media is no longer about mass communications of one to many. Media fragmentation, social networks, Multi screen devices, all cause marketers to pause and take a new path to the consumer. Consumers’ attention given to brands is not grabbed by shouting at someone, but earned by engaging consumers in a brand’s essence, its blueprint. The new marketplace is made up of new more powerful consumers who use technology to switch on and off what they want to see. The rapid growth of online tools have made it easier for people with no technical skill or interest to chat, publish, promote, discuss and interact online. Blogs were one of the first byproducts of this dynamic environment. And of course, YouTube’s meteoric rise is due in part to the ease in which videos are produced, distributed and shared on the open source platform. The new marketing paradigm created by Open Source principles, operates in transparency, reactive in real-time, controlled by people, not companies and is global. Today’s marketers must adapt to these new guidelines in order to reach the consumer. This chapter will map out a few basic rules to follow.