Evian's roller-skating babies - the centrepiece of a global campaign designed to halt a fall in sales at the French mineral water giant - have become the most widely seen advertisement on the internet.

Danone, the French food group which owns Evian, said the spot had been viewed on the web 45,166,109 times since its launch last summer, earning a place in the Guinness Book of Records.

Developed by BETC Euro RSCG, the French agency, the campaign shows the babies performing stunts to the sound of Rapper's Delight, a song by the Sugarhill Gang which became the first ever international hip hop hit in 1979. It was remixed for Evian by Dan the Automator, the hip hop producer.

The roller babies follow Evian's water ballet babies advertisement in 1998.

Rémi Babinet, the founder of BETC Euro RSCG, said: "In a climate of crisis and general gloom this advert shows that it can play the role of a positive spur in a depressed market."

Evian - the world's biggest mineral water producer - claims the campaign has helped to slow a decline in sales.

After a drop of seven per cent last year, they are down by two per cent this year, according to Michael Aidan, director of the Evian brand. Analysts say price cuts in France and elsewhere have also helped to brake the move towards tap water and cheaper mineral water brands.

Danone recorded a 4.1 per cent increase in overall sales in the third quarter to Euros3.8 billion after slashing the price of its brands by up to 10 per cent.

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