Could this be the language included in a future casting call?

MTV might think so. The network that built a remarkable brand in the "traditional" media world continues its march to mash-up popular cable television content and characters with virtual worlds. MTV execs call it "4D".

Yesterday, MTV leaders presented their vision for the future at the Virtual Worlds 2007 conference in New York. It's a future of merged content between one-way and two-way channels. And they're off to a good start.

The Viacom-owned media group already operates its own company-created-and-maintained virtual social networks based on two television shows: Laguna Beach and The Hills. Another -- based on Pimp My Ride -- is coming soon.

In these 3-D worlds, avid audience members can stroll through virtual landscapes which roughly relate to the real world depicted in the show, interact with other fans, and even bump into favorite characters (or at least, their avatars) from each television program.

[Above -- Lauren Conrad from MTV's "The Hills" appears on the television show and in the network's virtual world.]

By creating its own virtual environment from scratch, MTV has complete control over the surroundings (though they encourage loads of limited customization and personalization of and by visitors). It's a stark contrast to the community-built, "open" Second Life colony, in which marketers are often shunned for overstepping their ground into user-created spaces with overt branding. With MTV's owned virtual worlds, visitors expect some level of brand interaction.

It's a marketer's dream. Latch on to a successful media property, then interweave your brand appropriately into the audience's interaction with the show. Pepsi, for example, is offering fun branded props that virtual world visitors can use -- logo-adorned hoverboards, virtual soft drinks, etc. It's a natural extension of product placement happening in traditional media for years. And it's working because companies aren't solely slapping their brandmark on walls -- they're adding value to the experience by giving you tools you can use, sponsoring in-world events, etc.

In fact, the presence of logos and marketing messages doesn't seem to be driving audiences away. According to CNET News, 64 percent of users come back regularly, users visit 1.4 times per week for an average of 37 minutes each time, and users have so far logged more than 72 million minutes in-world. Not a bad extension for short television programs and probably why other big marketers like P&G and Cingular (now AT&T) have also jumped into MTV's virtual worlds.

This is just the beginning. It's safe to say we'll see scores more social media and entertainment property mash ups in the future.

The big question remaining for PR pros: Does your résumé include virtual networking and publicity skills yet?