- Shahnaz Mahmud

NEW YORK CBS literally "puts on the dog" to promote Greatest American Dog, a reality series that bows tomorrow night.

The campaign is a mix of traditional and non-traditional marketing, with some elements created in collaboration with the network's media agency, Initiative. The campaign spans out-of-home, online, in-store, print, radio, cable and cinema advertising.

George Schweitzer, president of CBS marketing, pointed to several of what he deemed to be "unique promotions," such as an alignment with Dogster.com, "the Facebook for dogs," in which the network takes over the homepage of the site and introduces a "fan club."

In pet-food sections of certain supermarkets, motion-sensor video screens have been set up to run a 30-second spot. The monitor snaps to life with the sound of a barking dog when shoppers gets close, inviting them to press a button to view the program.

CBS has also employed walkers in New York who are sporting vests and T-shirts with the show's logo. The dogs are also outfitted appropriately, displaying pertinent information about the show.

Also in the mix: branded hot dog stands throughout Manhattan. "We thought it was a good way to create more visibility, especially in a city like New York, where there is so much going on," said Schweitzer. "We're playing off of the words, 'So you think you have a hot dog?' Well, we have 'hot dogs' here, too."

"We're trying to do as many things as we can to 'unleash' the media onslaught," said Schweitzer.