- T.L. Stanley

Before there's a script, or A-list stars or name brand director, what's to love about a feature film in its most nascent stages?

Answer: A big, goofy, trouble-making dog.

Nearly as soon as 20th Century Fox secured the movie rights to John Grogan's best-selling autobiographical book Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog, Nestlé's Purina was ready to pounce. That was long before Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson made deals to star in the comedy, and Oscar-winning director David Frankel was hired.

The pet products marketer signed on as a promotional partner for the all-family comedy (set for a Christmas day release), worked with Frankel for product integration, designed a national contest and agreed to hype the DVD as aggressively as the feature release. The details are noteworthy because Purina is a newbie to Hollywood tie-ins.

"We did jump in feet first," said Kristen Edler, Purina Dog Chow's brand manager. "We felt like it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we wanted to make the most of it."

Frankel, who also directed Fox's megahit The Devil Wears Prada, will serve as the spokesman and top judge for Purina's "send us your Marley moments" contest, asking consumers to submit videos of their rascally mutts. In what could be a first for the medium, the Marley DVD will contain some of those consumer-generated videos as bonus features.

Marley & Me fit seamlessly into the existing Purina ad campaign, via Fallon, Minneapolis, that focuses on the endearing qualities of man's best friend under the tagline, "Long Live Your Dog."

The contest, via longliveyourdog.com, will get its first national TV boost during the Thanksgiving airing of The National Dog Show, a Purina-sponsored event on NBC. Six spots will highlight the video submissions, directing people to vote online.

The brand will appear in key mischief-making scenes in the movie where Marley is ripping into a bag of Puppy Chow and being bribed with Dog Chow by a hapless pet sitter.

Purina, which hired the William Morris talent agency to help shepherd the deal, will be on the lookout for other entertainment tie-ins.

Fox executives also brought together Borders, the American Kennel Club and a WD-40 brand of pet stain remover called Spot Shot for promotional programs that span in-store displays and video screens, online, print, TV and public service announcements.

The always competitive holiday movie season features awards-caliber adult fare like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the Will Smith drama Seven Pounds, a Vince Vaughn comedy Four Christmases and an animated flick, The Tale of Despereaux.

"We know we really need to stand out," said Rita Drucker, Fox's senior vp-feature film promotions. "We can't bank solely on the awareness and popularity of the book. So we put together deals that would help convey the big broad appeal of the movie."

The PG-rated comedy will be positioned as perhaps the one choice at the multiplex that everybody in the family can agree on, Drucker said. With the success of Beverly Hills Chihuahua and another Disney dog picture, Bolt, on deck, could there be canine overload at the box office? It's doubtful, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of tracking firm Media by Numbers. "They're thematically different enough that it likely won't matter that they're coming close together. Besides, dogs are hot right now."