Wackiest Viral Marketing Campaigns

March 8, 2010 — -- Don't look now, but Reebok really wants your attention.

Rumors are flying that the sneaker company planted two viral videos now circulating on the Internet showing famous athletes exercising naked. Well, almost naked.

They do appear to be wearing (you guessed it) Reebok sneakers.

While the videos look as if they were caught by a lucky snoop, the reflective Reebook logos that flash through all the videos leaves no doubt in the minds of many advertising experts that Reebok was behind the spots. Reebok did not return calls seeking comment.

"Faux virals are created to look like a regular person shot it," says Josh Warner, founder and president of Feed Company, which specializes in helping companies seed viral videos. "Even though this video is not heavily branded like a commercial, the intrigue is such that Reebok is what everybody is talking about."

Companies have been making viral videos for years, as a way to reach online audiences who don't pay attention to traditional ads. You Tube has made it easier than ever to distribute these videos, but it has also intensified competition so that companies must dig deeper for tricks into their bag of attention-grabbing tricks.

When videos catch on, they can boost a company's image and sales far more than a traditional advertising campaign would, experts say. And they cost very little do produce and distribute, since posting videos on You Tube is free.

One of the most popular viral marketing campaigns started out with a $50 budget. It shows a lab engineer in geeky glasses and a goofy smile cheerily using a blender to mash up everything from golf balls to iPhones.