Over the past few years, viral marketing has been cited as the solution to all of marketing's woes: jaded customers with short attention spans, high costs of mass media and targeting narrow niche audiences. Run some well-placed "guerilla" campaigns, the experts say, and your audience will do your marketing for you, spreading the glowing gospel of your product or service far and wide for a pittance.

There have been some high profile failures of viral marketing, one of the more notable being a 2007 campaign for a cartoon which involved placing electronic signs around Boston, which police promptly interpreted as a series of explosive devices. More recently, Google and Apple have fallen victims to the perils of going viral, with the recent Nexus One phone and iPad device.

Both gadgets were initially nothing more than rumors, which were gradually "hyped" through a series of press leaks. While I have no inside information and much of this is conjecture on my part, both seemed to be following the standard Viral Marketing textbook, where salacious yet vague details are released through unofficial channels all

the while corporate spokespeople remain mum. Where each company went wrong is that they maintained their official silence until expectations for the devices bordered on the inane. If you followed the Google phone, it was going to "completely revolutionize" the wireless industry hours before its release, to the point that some were even predicting Google had secretly built its own mobile wireless infrastructure in the United States. When Google presented an incrementally advanced backed by a standard distribution model, many of the phone's biggest fans were let down to the point of launching a viral backlash.

Similarly with Apple's iPad, speculation for an Earth-shattering device ran rampant, until the actual device, essentially a large-screen iPod Touch, was released to an audience that has largely and loudly panned the device. While some may argue that any attention is good attention, companies that repeatedly exploit viral hype will eventually fall victim to the oldest of "viral" campaigns, mirroring the old tale of the boy who cried wolf, who repeatedly sounded false alarms until his cries were no longer heeded when an actual wolf did arrive on the scene. Despite the fact that instant communications, rampant "tabloid-style" web journalism and a willing press make stoking the hype cycle fairly easy, viral campaigns can do much to damage a brand and your reputation for innovation if deployed incorrectly or casually.

The comment initially struck me as odd; rarely does religion come up in a business-related conversation, especially during an initial introduction. After pondering the comment a bit further, perhaps what struck me the most was how rare it is to hear someone initially describe a business acquaintance or colleague through a moral lens of sorts. Irrespective of one's religious views or lack thereof, presenting someone through the lens of religion implies an emphasis on morality, or a known value system. No religion has a monopoly on morality and values, and the introduction could have just as easily been "He's a good moral businessman," something that would have sounded equally odd due to its rare use.

It seems rather sad that I was initially shocked by someone holding a business partner in high esteem due to ethics, morals or an enviable value system. Perhaps I associate with the wrong crowd, although I suspect this may be a universal deficit, although one that can be corrected by holding these values in higher regard.

Having an afternoon to walk around the city today, I stopped for lunch at a small bakery/sandwich place that looked promising. Most of these types of places are billed as bread shops or the unappetizing-sounding "Tabac" (tobacco/cigarette shop) but have a counter with a wide array of lovely sandwiches, all manner of quiches and perhaps some pastas, soups, or more hearty meals. The ingredients are fresh, the bread amazing, and the ubiquitous side salad is lightly bathed in whatever unique dressing the place has decided to whip up that day.

Food comes out surprisingly quickly, surprising since most of these places have rudimentary cooking equipment: a burner or two and perhaps a toaster oven that belie the quality of cuisine they will soon produce.

At the end of the meal, the waiter or waitress gives you plenty of time to read your paper or stare into space, eventually stopping by to ask "Café?" enquiring if you would like what other countries refer to as espresso coffee. It is a statement more than a question, as it seems any worthwhile meal should end with a spot of café. After finishing your coffee you are once again left to sit in peace and contemplate your meal, digest and ponder life's great questions, like whether or not to look at the desert menu!