Brand as Platform

Brian Phipps is thinking about "brand" as a platform. Particularly whether you can apply the idea of an "architecture of participation" to it.

I sort of see this in the case where the product is already a platform. For example, the Apple brand is what it is to be a Mac user. But what it is to be a Mac user, partly depends on Mac developers creating cool applications.

But can it work with something that doesn't initially look like a platform? Is there always a way for users and developers to "party together"? If I make wine, can I actively listen to (and amplify) the customers' stories about how they use wine, and what it means to them?

Is that "architecture of participation"? Or "gonzo marketting"? Or "strategy"? Or ...