Verizon Wireless’ phones play an key role in the storyline of Valemont, which refers to the mysterious college where the character Sophie’s brother was attending at the time of his disappearance. Each episode begins with a video clip or text message from Eric’s mobile device, which features the Verizon logo prominently. Naturally enough, viewers watching at home will be encouraged to register for SMS messages that will offer “clues” to the action, as well as an online gaming component at ValemontU.com. VCast will also boast behind the scenes content.

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Aside from good product placement for Verizon, fitting the series into an entire commercial pod is a good way to avoid the ad clutter. Secondly, it might also serve as a good way to test future programming for on-air and online, said John Shea, MTVN’s VVP of Integrated Marketing, in an interview with paidContent. That said, the network will take a wait and see approach to see if Valemont gains wider traction than simply serving as a branded entertainment vehicle. “We don’t know yet if this will be a series,” Shea said. “We love the way it looks and story line. It’s a good model for us to think about in terms of directly testing programming before an audience.”