Advertising has traditionally always been a one way street - advertiser talks, consumer listens, end of story. But in an online world where anyone can seek and consume the information they want to - and ignore that which they do not - ad agencies are having to push their creativity ever further in their bid to grab hold of, and interact with, the fickle attention of an internet-savvy consumer.

Referral marketing is nothing new. Businesses have always recognised the power of referrals made by their customers. Something along the lines of "refer a friend and save 20% off your next bill" can be very effective for businesses.

Why is Keanu Reeves so sad? Can I haz cheeseburger? What does the double rainbow mean? As we all know, the internets is serious business and these question are worth considering. What do they all have in common? They're derived from internet memes, a peculiarity that can be best described as a cultural virus.

Someone recently asked me if I could 'make' a viral video, as though it was something I could immediately produce, like a cup of instant coffee. As we know, 'viral' is something than happens, rather than something that just is.