Scott,
With all due respect, the fact that most of the people here are "technical" people in that they earn their living by designing, administering, and creating computer systems does not mean those people have no "marketing" expertise. To imply the latter could be understood as something of an insult to one's intelligence, and I suspect that your post could be interpreted that way.
OpenACS is a toolkit. Marketing a toolkit involves addressing technical people, and technical people are hardly unaware of the power of a brand. When technical people make recommendations, their reputations are on the line. These folks like the comfort of a strong brand as much as any pointy-haired boss type.
