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Like most of the marketing community, I was generally disappointed with this year’s Super Bowl advertising (see my post at Beyond Madison Avenue). Generally, I felt they were uninspired, they failed to make a strong connection with their intended audience, and with the exception of the user-created Doritos ads, they lacked originality.

With that being said, one redeeming moment came. Thanks to the good people at Vizio, we now have proof that Gary Brolsma, aka the Numa Numa Kid is alive and well.

If, for some weird reason, you’re unfamiliar with the Numa Numa Kid, check out this Wikipedia article and the corresponding video below. Essentially, the Numa Numa saga is the story of how a Web cam, a super-catchy Romanian pop song, and the power of YouTube turned one nerdy kid into a worldwide sensation.

I remember laughing pretty hard the first time I saw this video over five years ago. It was as ridiculously goofy then as it is now. Of course, that didn’t stop it from racking up tens of millions of views and leading the way for countless imitations, interpretations, and parodies.

In fact, Mr. Brolsma has taken his unexpected Internet fame and turned it into an actual career. Long after I thought the video would have faded away, the dancing doofus (and I say that lovingly) has remained a vital part of our popular culture, and he’s not the only one.

In Vizio’s Super Bowl ad, which touted the Web functionality of the company’s new televisions, viewers were treated not only to Gary “Numa Numa” Brolsma but also the silky baritone voice of Tay “Chocolate Rain” Zonday and the world-famous Dramatic Chipmunk.

While I thought Vizio’s ad was only mildly effective (the peak of both Brolsma and Zonday’s popularity hit several years ago), it really made me think about the nature of celebrity in the Internet age. The things that we do online have never been more important to our real life successes and failures. Post a stupid picture of yourself on Facebook and you might lose your job. Post a crazy video of yourself on YouTube and you might turn it into multiple sponsorship opportunities, two music video appearances, and a spot in a $3 million Super Bowl ad.

What do you think makes an Internet meme go viral, and how long do you think these Web celebrities can keep milking the spotlight?