Google “iTablet” and you get a neat 634,000 results. Try the more generic “Mac Tablet” and you get 19 million more. It’s the type of hype money simply can’t buy. But borrow from the pre-release marketing strategies of movie studios and you can get it done.

Over on Mac Observer, former Apple Marketing Manager John Martellaro tells us how he used to do it: keep it quiet, keep it sneaky, no emails and maintain plausible deniability for both the company and the publication that’s leaking it.

The communication is always done in person or on the phone. Never via e-mail. That’s so that if there’s ever any dispute about what transpired, there’s no paper trail to contradict either party’s version of the story. Both sides can maintain plausible deniability and simply claim a misunderstanding. That protects Apple and the publication.

In the case of yesterday’s story, Walt Mossberg was bypassed so that Mr. Mossberg would remain above the fray, above reproach. Also, two journalists at the WSJ were involved. That way, each one could point the finger at the other and claim, “I thought he told me to run with this story! Sorry.”

Twitter’s currently in a huff that such things happen. The issue is that with wink and nudge, news organizations are in bed with Apple. It’s a legitimate gripe but more interesting right now is how Apple plants the viral seeds to create an absolute need for whatever product they are (or are not) rolling out at their January 26 event (if it’s happening at all).

The strategy is one we’ve seen used by the movie studios. Cloverfield comes to mind. The pre-release tidbits leaking across the Web created a feeding frenzy of early fans trying to piece together the plot. It became a giant viral treasure hunt that spread from movie sites to sports sites and beyond. Blair Witch accomplished the same remarkable feat over a decade ago.

The trick now is living up to the hype. Fans are amped. Critics are ready to pounce. The tablet has become a mythical creation worthy of a name (”iSlate”) and pseudo renderings created by publications to demonstrate what it would/could/should be.

After so much foreplay, the company has to deliver or the collective let down will suck the wind out of whatever it does for the rest of the year.

Related posts:

1. Jason Calacanis’ Rant Against Apple
2. Will Downturn Take a Bite out of Apple?
3. Apple Bows Before our Chinese Overlords