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Seagull films stunning aerial video after stealing camera

Whether it's the exploit of an ambitious seagull or part of a viral marketing campaign, it's easy to see why this video is garnering so much attention on the Web.

A Slovakian director is claiming the footage was taken by a seagull that stole his GoPro camera and then flew over the French city of Cannes.

While the footage seems to look real, the fact that GoPros are being marketed as a wearable digital camera that can be strapped to nearly anything seems to make this viral sensation a little too convenient.

On YouTube, the director claims the seagull stole the camera and that he later "found it on the castle wall, where I had to climb"

Real or fake, the video has racked up more than two million views since it was posted late last month.

The video may be the second in a viral campaign by GoPro. In May, a video of a lion stealing a GoPro camera also generated attention online and was picked up by a number of media outlets.

Viral videos are rapidly becoming a staple in the advertising world. T-Mobile capitalized on the buzz around the royal wedding with their take on the original wedding entrance dance video and game controller company Xtendplay recently used the debate over whether a nude gaming party video was real to grab attention for a new controller.

The latter was produced by Thinkmodo, a New York company that specializes in producing corporate viral videos which get attention through debate over their authenticity. Thinkmodo was also behind the fake video of a man hacking a Times Square billboard with his phone, which was actually part of a campaign promoting the movie "Limitless."

So next time you're not sure if a video is real, look for the product placement.