Remember the Aqua Teen Hunger Force guerilla marketing fiasco that scared the bejesus out of Boston back in February?

An advertising buddy and I met for cocktails that evening. He had come off a marathon client meeting hashing through the particulars of a national print and TV campaign. On a break, he and his client catch news of the stunt. The meeting winds down. Hanging in the doorway, the client turns to my friend, "Oh, yeah... and give me something viral in all this, will you?"

Puh-lease. Viral is a term that tends to be used naively and recklessly in marketing. It doesn't work at all the same way as, say, buying a print ad.  Be ready for an earful if we get started on this subject in person.

Meantime, for a primer, check out this post from Nielsen Buzzmetrics' Max Kalehoff featuring contributions from Columbia University sociology professor, author and collective dynamics thought-leader Duncan Watts.  Duncan's books and works are fascinating.  Or, learn more straight from Duncan in this short Harvard Business Review article or participate at Small World Project. Connectedness isn't just for Kevin Bacon.