Stumbled upon this today:

Viral + Buzz Marketing Association Manifesto 1: Mission and Affiliation

All members of the VBMA share the conviction that Viral Marketing, Buzz Marketing and Word-of-Mouth Marketing (and other related marketing approaches that harness network-enhanced word of mouth) are based on the principles outlined below, and that we work constantly on improving these marketing techniques:

1) We strive to

a) identify only those people who will be interested in a particular marketing message,
b) deliver the message to them in a way that makes it an enjoyable or valuable experience,
c) provide it in a manner that encourages them to share it with others.

We will therefore be providing a benefit to our audiences and their acquaintances and in so doing, to the brands for which we work.

2) Our goal is to foster genuine enthusiasm about brands and brand communications, which can spread through networks in a way that is enjoyed, appreciated and / or valued.

3) We believe that network-enhanced word of mouth has a critical role to play in the future of integrated marketing communications. Marketers need to offer content in the media and through one-to-one connections that the recipients themselves choose to propagate to those that they deem appropriate, thereby eliminating irrelevant, untimely and (as a consequence) annoying marketing messages.

4) We believe that whatever our target, we will always be dealing with educated people who detect when they are being deceived.

a) These people appreciate brands that find smart ways to entertain, educate or inform them.
b) They are well-informed in the area of marketing, peer-to-peer exchange and consumption, enabling them to function as partners and stakeholders in marketing communication activities.
c) As partners, we treat these people with care and respect. We will not only develop or send information or content to them, but will also listen to their opinions. We value their contributions.
d) Our audience-centric vision of connected marketing seeks to put the target networks at the centre of marketing.

These positions are unifying principles shared by all members of the VBMA. We agree that working in this field is considered acceptable, professional and valuable when these principles are respected.

Companies or individuals who do not adhere to these principles are not considered to be carrying out viral/buzz/word-of-mouth marketing by the VBMA.

Or even more blatantly surreal is the experience of talking to a friend about his awesome new cell phone and discovering that he is a member of the BzzAgent network and he has been sent a playbook along with the phone, guiding him in how to introject praise for the phone into everyday conversations with friends, acquiantances, or total strangers.

I'm all for the power of networks, I believe that it is fair and fine to create communities or events devoted to some sponsored interest, like mobility or video gaming. It is even legitimate to target influencers, and bombard them with doodads or free tickets in the hopes that they will pass along the memes. But I have trouble with the irreality of paid shills, whether bloggers, influencers, or everyday people, who debase social intercourse. Tyhe obviously false -- like people paid to stand on the street holding placards with attention grabbing statements like "Is it just a game?" -- are ok, because it is just a publicity stunt, and obviously fake. But the gumming up of everyday life with bottom-up but concealed marketing is just a new kind of social spam.