MTV Networks, Elizabeth Arden and Ford Models are launching a campaign to find the world’s first-ever virtual supermodel. The campaign is designed to appeal to a generation of young, aspiring consumers who take their online persona as seriously as their real-world presence.

One can go to http://www.vmodelsearch.mtv.com or http://www.vmtv.com/virtualhills.html to create their own customized avatar, which they’ll use on their quest to become the world’s first-ever virtual model.

Participants will experience opportunities to “meet” in-world with a roster of Ford Models’ experts who will provide invaluable beauty and styling tips on everything from fashion, skincare, hair, and makeup — of which all can apply to the real world.

They are then given a virtual bottle of M by Mariah Carey — complete with a spray animation — along with a Ford Models portfolio book to carry throughout the virtual world. Ford Models’ digital video content containing similar fashion and beauty insights will also be available 24 hours a day for viewing.

At the heart of the campaign is a series of events in early January, in which models will be asked to show off their virtual acting capabilities by posing with the bottle and acting out a commercial for the fragrance. They will also be asked to walk a virtual runway and compete in a virtual dance contest. Representatives from Ford Models, Elizabeth Arden and MTV will conduct the judging.

Three finalists will be chosen by an expert panel on January 14, 2008. The winner — as determined by viewer votes — will be announced on-air on January 31, 2008.

The winning avatar becomes Ford Models’ first-ever virtual world model, the fresh new face of a marketing campaign for MTV’s virtual worlds, and the star of a :30-second Elizabeth Arden/MTV co-branded spot.