Odd as it might seem, I love virals. But before I tell you why, I need to clear up the definition of ‘viral’.

The majority are cynical cries for attention by desperate brands running low on ideas. They’re a last ditch attempt to ‘make some waves,’ ‘create some buzz,’ or otherwise justify their digital expenditure. And then there’s the worst viral crime of all: trying to PR a viral before it’s even born.

PR companies frequently pass viral campaigns to me before making them public. Clearly there’s some hope journalists like myself will feature it early on , garnering the client a few column (or web) inches to serve as proof it has ‘gone viral’ and effectively cancelling the need for all that pesky ‘viral’ stuff in the first place.

On the whole, it’s lazy and it stinks. But now and then there are true flashes of genius. Adobe Flashes of genius if you like, and this week I found my favourite yet.

Looking at it objectively, I should have been disgusted. It’s a mash-up of live Twitter posts, YouTube video and, well, international mourning. All the hallmarks of a company chasing the dragon of ‘marketing buzz.’

But this was a bit different: Created by web application firm 9Astronauts, Billie Tweets is a sort of automated sing-along to Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean, with the words piped direct from the twitter feeds of social media mavens around the globe. Check it out here. You’ll love it, and I’ll tell you why.

As a creative, it’s very clever. From a technical viewpoint, it’s very clever. And the swift-fingered code ninjas who churned it out in two days flat, well, they’re very clever. But none of those things make this a great viral. That all stems from the shrewd idea behind it.

I’d bet folding money 9Astronauts knew Billie Tweets would perform well before they wrote a single line of code. Its masterminds have cottoned on to Twitter fans’ fondness for spreading news about Twitter, realising they love it almost as much as they love spreading news about a worldwide event or crisis.

This week saw tweeting about such an event on an unprecedented scale, with the death of Michael Jackson. So, neatly and with the speed of a Jacko moonwalk, 9Astronauts married the two.

As I said, it’s an ensemble piece. Great execution, a great idea, and perfect timing. 9Astronauts has the web buzzing over its creation already, and if I wanted a Twitter mashup of my own, I’d be hammering down their door. Not for the technical expertise you understand, but for the online understanding and ideas behind it.

And that’s what good viral marketing is all about: ideas. Not cheesy tie-ins or getting people to pass branded messages to their mates. Just pure, gleeful, undiluted ingenuity. The web seems to relish ideas more than radio or TV ever has. They become part of the collective online consciousness. They delight. They amuse. They engage. And yes, we share them too.

Rather than being an interruption, virals become a destination in their own right, and that’s why they’re the future of good online marketing. Still, think you’ve got a killer campaign? Twitter it. See who passes it on. We’ll soon see how good it really is.

There’s an interesting piece over on EContent, posted by Jessica Howard and Justin Evans from Stresslimitdesign, that supports this notion and explores related ideas in connection to corporate blogging and social media strategies. Here’s a highlight snippet from the piece:

“What marketers and PR departments are missing is that social media can’t be used as a venue for traditional, unilateral advertising. Social media is about building trust and relationships – and people typically only stay in relationships that are mutually beneficial. Blogs are often the first step corporate brands take into the social media world, so it is important to make a positive first impression… it is important to make a positive first impression. The key to doing this is to remember that blogs work when offering an authentic and knowledgeable voice, as opposed to canned corporate messaging.

Naturally we’re only scratching the surface here, as there are so many nuances to building trust when it comes to corporate blogging as publishers, and educating some marketeers. But if I can wrap up this post with just one rule (of many) for when engaging in corporate blogging, caring about the subject matter is absolutely crucial – if, as the author, you don’t feel and believe it, guaranteed no one else will.

Share your ideas on corporate blogging in the comments section below.

Photo of lie detector from Rex Roof