Pet food manufacturer Purina has launched a new line of dog and cat food celebrating the happiness that pets bring their owners, with mobile playing a key role in supporting the brand?s philosophy.

The marketing strategy for Be Happy includes a photo-sharing app as well as a strong social media tie-in via Facebook and Pinterest. This is just the latest example of Purina?s robust mobile strategy which includes a growing number of apps, the mobile Web and 2D bar codes.

?The new Be Happy brand is all about celebrating the enduring happiness pets bring to their owners lives,? said Aaron Williams, brand manager for Be Happy, Nestle Purina Pet Care Co., St. Louis.

?The fun and easy photo app allows users to customize images of themselves or their pets with hearts, the Be Happy characters, dog ears, borders and thought bubbles for happy messages,? he said.

?The mobile app was a natural fit. It?s a fun and easy way for people and their pets to join our happiness movement.?

Driving engagement
The app enables people to customize photos with visual elements like dog ears, hearts, borders, the Be Happy characters and thought bubbles for happy messages. Users can share their creations with their friends through Twitter, Facebook, or email.

Photo-sharing apps are popular with mobile users and brands such as Purina, Elmer?s Glue and others are finding they can create their own branded photo-sharing apps to drive engagement.

The social media tie-in for Be Happy includes a Facebook page that has grown to more than 100,000 fans in the three months that it has been available. Be Happy fans on Facebook can create e-cards, customize their own T-shirts and upload photos from the Be Happy mobile photo app.

The new pet food brand also has Pinterest page that includes a board for "Happiness Art," featuring original craft projects.

The app is available to download for free from the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Purina embraces mobile
Purina has been active in the mobile space for several years.

This spring, the company launched the Purina Pet Health app, enabling pet owners to track the health and wellness of their animals (see story).

Earlier in the year, Purina used a campaign-specific mobile Web site to help pet owners connect to their furry friends as part of a multichannel campaign (see story).

Last year, Purina used on-package QR codes to drive donations to its charity supporting pet shelters. The mobile bar codes were placed on packages of Purina One cat food and, for each QR code scanned, Purina donated $1 to provide pet food to pet shelters across the country (see story).

Be Happy is a dry pet food available nationwide in cat and dog formulas. It helps support strong bones and teeth, healthy vision, and healthy skin and coat.

?Combined with social media, the photo app helps us bring the Be Happy philosophy to life,? Mr. Williams said. ?Fans can join our happiness movement by sharing their photos with friends and family, and sharing them with other Be Happy fans on the Facebook page.

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York