A cool stunt video featuring a wetsuit-clad man gliding down a waterslide in the German Alps, becoming airborne, and landing in a kiddie pool has gotten 1,730,257 hits since its release on Aug. 3 on YouTube. In fact, in the time it took to write this blog post, it got 13,323 more hits.
Turns out it’s a marketing stunt. The viral video was created for Microsoft Germany for its Microsoft Office Project 2007 software by MRM Worldwide, according to NewTeeVee. NewTeeVee also said MRM Germany CEO Alexander Ewig confessed to his company’s involvement in a press release, saying, ““We developed Megawoosh as a viral campaign for Microsoft Germany.”
The original poster, Bruno Kammerl, calls it “the biggest waterslide on earth.” The elaborate stunt looks real, but it is really the product of clever editing. Microsoft is not identified on YouTube, but once you go to Kammerl’s Web site, you see the Microsoft Germany banner.
The video has gotten a big boost on Facebook – two different friends posted it – and was obviously seeded across the Web by its makers. It has certainly succeeded as a viral video, going far beyond the German market it was intended for. Does it sell software? I’m not sure. But it sure is fun to watch.
