Purina Pro Plan Debuts New Consumer-Generated Ad During Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

ST. LOUIS, Feb. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The famed green carpet is not the only place to find great dogs showing off this year. 

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As dog lovers around the country tune in on February 11 – 12 to the 137th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, viewers will get the chance to see "everyday" dogs prove their greatness alongside the elite "Best in Show" class.

Purina® Pro Plan® brand dog food, the presenting partner of the prestigious annual dog show, will debut its new 60-second spot "How I'm Great," a compilation of consumer-submitted videos celebrating every dog's greatness, during the live broadcast on Monday, Feb. 11, (8 p.m. ET, CNBC) and will re-air throughout Tuesday's show on Feb. 12, (8 p.m. ET, USA Network).

"Purina Pro Plan believes that inside every good dog is a great dog," said Heather Gettys, brand director, Purina Pro Plan. "The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is the perfect opportunity to debut our new ad; viewers can celebrate the finest purebred conformation dogs together with the great dogs we have at home. We think the public will be as inspired by the dogs featured in the ad as much as we were."

Purina Pro Plan conducted a video contest during the summer of 2012 on its YouTube page, asking participants, "How is Your Dog Great?" to show their dog's journey to greatness and inspire others to want to discover greatness in their dog. The campaign garnered so many submissions – more than 500 videos – that Purina Pro Plan decided to create the entire ad spot using clips collected throughout the contest. Users also voted for their favorite "Great" clip out of eight finalists, ultimately choosing the video of a Chicago rescue dog named Noodles, whose family will be recognized at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

The ad debut comes on the heels of the brand's January launch of Purina® Pro Plan® P5®, an innovative mobile app that revolutionizes the way active dog owners train and play with their pets. The P5 app is the next generation of dog training technology that offers owners of all dog breeds and sizes personal plans and video lessons in agility, dock diving, flying disc, obedience, running and strength training, available for free via the Apple App Store.

"Every dog has an incredible natural talent just waiting to be discovered," said Gettys. "If you invest the time and effort using the app, you will experience the satisfaction and pride that comes with helping your dog unleash that talent."

The Purina Pro Plan P5 app is part of the Purina Pro Plan SPORT product portfolio launch, which offers three formulas to fuel athletic dogs based on activity level – from everyday exercise to competitive performance.

The "How I'm Great" spot is a build off of the brand's 2012 debut anthem spot, "Good to Great," which also featured clips of every day dogs being great in the eyes of their owners. Both spots are set to original song tracks by Chicago-based rock musician, Tony Rogers, and are available for download at www.ProPlan.com/Music. Both ads were also created by Leo Burnett Chicago.

Fans can visit Purina Pro Plan's YouTube page – www.youtube.com/proplan – to view both ads, meet the dogs featured in the commercial and watch Noodles' winning video contest submission. During the show fans can also share with other dog lovers via Twitter what makes their dog great, using the hashtag #greatdog.

About Purina Pro Plan

Purina® Pro Plan® supports pets and their owners on their personal journey toward greatness. The brand offers a complete line of dog and cat food made with high-quality ingredients for outstanding nutrition and taste, in a variety of formulas to help meet a pet's unique needs based on life stage, lifestyle and breed size. By providing this top-tier nutrition for dogs and cats, plus key resources and tools, Purina Pro Plan believes it can help pets reach their full potential – so they can live healthy, happy lives.

About Nestle Purina PetCare

Nestle Purina PetCare promotes responsible pet care, humane education, community involvement and the positive bond between people and their pets. The North American headquarters for Nestle Purina PetCare is located at Checkerboard Square in St. Louis, Missouri. Nestle Purina PetCare is part of Swiss-based Nestle S.A. -- the world's largest food company. For more, visit www.purina.com.

SOURCE Nestle Purina PetCare