Everyone talks about viral marketing as if it’s a brand-new tactic, born of the information age. But really, viral marketing can be anything from handing out free samples in the grocery store to dropping wallets that contain a card requesting that the finders visit a certain Web site to see if they have found the lucky million-dollar wallet, to launching a presidential campaign on YouTube.

Most people assume “viral” must have something to do with the Internet. Often that is true. But it does not have to be.

There is a great deal of talk today about buzz marketing or word-of-mouth marketing. Those are just other ways of talking about viral marketing. Viral marketing is basically any marketing effort that you “release” into the marketplace, allowing it to chart its own course. The key element of viral marketing is that you relinquish control to the consumers and let them take the campaign where they see fit.

It’s possible and advantageous to use an element of viral marketing in every campaign you do. In fact, it’s been that way for years. The only difference is that your options are much broader now than they used to be.

There is no magic age or demographic for viral marketing. It all depends on the product, the medium and the audience. Again, like a creative campaign, it is not just for the young.

Though the 15- to 25-year-olds are clearly heavy Internet users, so are the business and hobby bloggers.

Want to create a rush of seniors? Virally give away free samples. Age is not the key factor. Matching the campaign to the audience is.

Next week, we’ll explore what elements are necessary for a successful viral campaign.

Drew McLellan is Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group and blogs at www.drewsmarketingminute.com. He can be reached at Drew@MclellanMarketing.com.  © 2007 Drew McLellan