Viral
Spreading person-to-person like a pathogen — the metaphor nobody reconsidered. Requested by executives as a deliverable ('make it go viral'), which is like requesting lightning.
Heard in the wild
“The video went modestly viral: 2 million views, 40 signups.”
Tone check: Cliché
Virality is bought, engineered occasionally, requested never. Views convert to revenue at humbling rates.