Budget's "Underfunded" UGC: Viral or not?

(Please click on the photo to link to the video.)

By Wendy McHale

Ok I admit it: I love UGC week! Watching the Budget video submissions has been a blast and reading the reviews is almost as much fun. As a matter of fact, an interesting storm has been brewing in the last couple of days surrounding the video "Underfunded." It's a must-see!!

It has been viewed over 18,000 times in less than 2 weeks and some viewers are questioning the authenticity of these views which have led to some fairly heated posts.

I asked Ben Grieco, the creator of Underfunded what he attributes to the viral success of his video. "Well everyone involved in the making of the video has asked everyone they know to post the link on their blogs, away messages, etc... We managed to get a lot of people to see it in the first few days alone just by asking anyone we meet online to check it out if they have the time. Everyone has been extremely cool about it, and we're really happy with the response we've received from total strangers." Call me crazy but it sounds like good old-fashioned PR to me.

I personally think Underfunded is really funny. I've seen way too many uninspired road trip videos, but after viewing this clip I actually picked up a few useful tips. Want to enjoy a hot, home cooked meal on the road? Cook up some burgers on the car engine -- yum.

Get more mileage with less gas? Choose a route with lots of rolling hills. Save on accommodations? Enjoy a good night sleep in the car and make use of "free" outdoor showers.

Ben has never entered a video in a contest before but he probably should since he seems to have the "viral touch." What we he do with the prize money if he wins? Pay off student loans -- or use it to heat his house this winter if the price of oil keeps rising!