Answer: Crowdsourcing is a term that is used to define a method or process whereby a creative solution for a problem is sourced from an undefined crowd rather than a single contractor.
Banish the mindset that “Creative” MUST equate to “art” or “design” – in the face of realization that all industries are constantly faced with dilemmas that require creative mindset solutions.
The focus is on leveraging the power of a community to generate solutions, opinions and support in fields ranging from science and innovation (http://www.innocentive.com) to design and branding (http://www.Springleap.com) to even funding for movies (http://aswarmofangels.com).
Crowdsourcing is often loosely referred to as “Marketing on steroids”, with products sourced from premium global talent coupled with the marketing that is tacitly part of the sourcing process as well as an indication of readiness for consumption via the use of social networking and voting mechanisms.