So this one isn’t a video clip, but it is viral. Using an unusual tactic, the new movie Baby Mama is being primarily marketed not through the usual trailer (that tends to give away all the best jokes) but rather through an interactive viral idea.

Reminiscent of the Christmas Elves that were so popular in December, this Baby Maker lets you upload photos of two people and see what their offspring would look like. The idea seems innocent enough, except that the babies come out looking horrific. Seriously. (I tried to have a look at what the offspring of Rob and Nic would look like but the result was so disturbing I just can’t put it up).

Not exactly pretty. So here’s an interesting dilemma. Word about the movie is obviously spreading – this post being a prime example.

Word of mouth: check.

The problem is that I’m more interested in the horrific babies than I am in the movie (despite being a huge fan of Tina Fey). After seeing this viral site I had a look at the main website for Baby Momma, which is also interactive and shows that the marketing for this movie is definitely being pushed online.

In fact, they seem to have gone quite interactive. The movie is a comedy about a woman who uses a surrogate to have her child, so the makers have provided the option for people to upload true stories of their experiences online - and a number of people already have. There’s also a link to the iVillage pregnancy and parenting site.

The website seems to be using the medium in an interesting way, but I wonder if it will get as much mention as the Baby Maker – a feature which is less relevant to the core themes of the movie than the website is, but definitely more controversial.