Contest Points to Unpredictability of Viral Efforts »

One website shows a 30-second video of a man sobbing while he eats fresh strawberries. Videos of a masked man dancing to the tune of cell phone ringtones are shown on a second. A third site advertises underwear with embedded tracking devices, for men who fear their lovers are straying. The creators of those three sites are among 84 entrants in a viral marketing contest. All hope that visitors will find their projects amusing enough to forward throughout the Web. The competition, "Contagious Media Showdown," which began in mid-May and runs through June 9, is designed to study viral media and how ideas spread on the Web.