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It takes a lot to fool us, you viral marketers. We usually see what you're selling from the get-go, so it takes a real talent to create a viral phenom that also goes under the radar as an advertisement. There's even been a few this year that we still cannot figure out (Steve Guttenberg, what are you selling?), but the ad with the best sell (and most entertaining clip) would have to be Gatorade's amazing ball girl -- who pulls some sort of tree-jumping frog move up a wall to catch a pop fly. It's pretty realistic aside from the crazy catch, as she walks back to her seat and sits down next to -- you guessed it! -- a barely-there bottle of Gatorade.



The nominees:

 Kobe Bryant Jumps Over Car - Even though it's an obvious Nike ad, web users still debated over whether if this one was real. See also: a pool of snakes.

Guys Backflip Into Jeans - One of the biggest viral hits of the year, Levi Strauss deserve a pat on the back for their entertaining guys back-flipping into jeans video.

Montauk Monster - Supposedly (though maybe not?) Montauk Monster was "viral marketing" for an indie film. We can't remember the name of the movie. Successful campaign? Probably not. Viral hit? Definitely.
The Return of The Muppets Show - To help get the word out about the Muppets' return to television, Disney orchestrated an impressive viral campaign with loads of Muppet goodness on YouTube and beyond. Who doesn't love The Muppets?
Nintendo's 'Wario Land:Shake It' - Nintendo released footage on YouTube for a new Wii game, 'Wario Land: Shake It' -- with a creative twist.
Ron Stilanovich - Sporting equipment manufacturers, Easton presented a career minor-leaguer that dishes out hard-hitting (and hilarious) tips for the baseball diamond.
Steve Guttenberg Jogs Pantless - Steve took a jog in Central Park... but forgot his pants. Our signs point toward viral marketing, but we're still not sure what he's selling.