• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, November 11, 2013

Mentos may not seem like a natural sponsor for the “Hunger Games” sequel opening in theaters November 22. After all, Is Katniss Everdeen supposed to pop a breath mint and smile after knocking off her latest arena adversary?

Maybe not. But in order to connect with the hit franchise’s young-skewing audience, Mentos is sponsoring a 10-part Web video series co-produced by Fandango and celebrity video site Young Hollywood that offers cast interviews, background on characters and plots, and fan contests in connection with the upcoming premiere of “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.”

The series will feature Mentos product placement throughout and an online contest that invites people to create “Hunger Games"-inspired art that incorporates Mentos breath mints. Maybe the Foo Fighters will enter an updated Mentos-inspired video. In addition, people viewing the new video series on Fandango or Young Hollywood will be able to buy movie tickets directly via Fandango.

The video promotion for “Hunger Games” is the latest original series from Fandango, which began ramping up its video offerings since last year with shows like “The Frontrunners,” and more recently its “Summer of Action” series promoting summer blockbusters. In other words, it wants to be more than just a ticket seller.