• June 22, 2009

Leave it to Purina to bridge the gap to the doggie app. With the advent of Purina's new Unforgettable Tail Digital Storybook application, your canine will be the star of your next screensaver, via an app available by month's end at chef-michaels.com.

Designed and developed by the Minneapolis office of MRM Worldwide to hype Chef Michael's canine creations -- the first new mass-marketed dog food brand from Nestlé-Purina PetCare in seven years -- the app allows dog owners to install Purina's server-based screensavers, which will automatically update when, for example, you add a new TwitPic from your day at the dog run.

"With the Unforgettable Tail Digital Storybook we've reinvented the old-fashioned screensaver by merging it with streaming technology," said Tyler Larson, account executive at MRM Worldwide's Minneapolis office. "The Chef Michael's brand has the ability to have ongoing communication with its consumers by dynamically broadcasting content and messaging through consumers' screensavers."

That messaging educates dog owners on product ingredients and a flavor range that reads like a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse menu: sirloin steak, filet mignon, beef tenderloin, porterhouse steak, rotisserie chicken, herb chicken, smoked turkey and pork tenderloin.

The upscale dog food brand is aimed at pooch lovers who think of their canine not as a pet, but as part of the family -- including being part of the family's iPhoto album.

"This application allows dogs owners to take their offline stories online, which serves as a lasting tribute to their special relationship with their dogs," said Shaun Belongie, Chef Michael's assistant brand manager. --Todd Zuniga