Much is made of the concept of “going viral” with your online marketing efforts. Many brands big and small have made use of the staggering power of social media (and its predecessors) to put something out there that people simply could not resist sharing.

As with so many things, the application of online channels somehow makes many people see “going viral” as a new thing, or even something you can “buy” or strategically plan.  Most viral content happens by accident – being contrived, by nature, often goes against the notion of viral content.

However viral content isn’t something which suddenly appeared because of the Internet – big companies were at it years ago, and while it may not have been Facebook “likes” and Youtube views which showed us how popular something was – the streets and playgrounds were where the real talking and sharing happened.

I’ve picked out two of my favourite examples of what I feel are great examples of “pre-viral” viral content; starting with a simple, stupid, but fantastically repeatable ad campaign for Dime bars:

The shout of “Armadillos!” spread like wildfire, and is still remembered fondly by many people over 15 years on.

This advert for Tango was so “viral” it ended up being banned, as kids throughout the UK suddenly took to mimicking the ad and slapping each other, in some cases causing a bit of damage.  Almost 20 years on, this advert still sticks in my mind.

There are no doubt countless other great examples, but the point is that none of these needed a social media campaign to permeate the day to day lives and mindsets of people far and wide.

What adverts or other examples of viral content and campaigns do you remember which pre-date the rise of the Internet?  Or do you think the idea of “viral” is one which only relates to online marketing?  Comments, as always, below!