Mktg - Brainy brands where they are least expected

A financial crisis, two wars, a presidential election.....When there is so much for readers to think about, how do magazines aimed at thoughtful readers attract their attention?One such magazine, The Economist, is spoofing the game Twister, distributing pizza boxes that improbably bear its name and sponsoring a performance of political satire by the Second City theatrical troupe. Another such magazine, The Atlantic, plans to advertise on the muffin displays in bodegas, restaurant menu boards and the shampoo shelves of drugstores. The Atlantic is also producing video clips that show what happens when passers-by on city streets are invited to answer questions like "Is Google making us stupid?" and "Why do presidents lie?" — questions that, to make them stand out, have also been reproduced as neon signs. In seeking readers and advertisers, publications like The Atlantic and The Economist, known as thought-leader magazines, have long tried to make up in cleverness what they lack in wallet power. Their ranks also include magazines like Harper's, Mother Jones, The Nation, The New Republic and The New Yorker. The campaign for The Atlantic, with a budget estimated at $1.5 million, even evokes its identity as a thought-leader title; it carries the theme "Think. Again." The campaign, which will also include a section of the magazine's website (theatlantic.com/thinkagain) is to begin on Monday. The campaign for The Economist is arriving this week in Philadelphia after stopping in eight other markets, including Boston and Washington. The campaign, with a budget estimated at $5 million, carries the theme "Get a world view." Both campaigns are indicative of the increasingly unusual efforts by the traditional media to catch the wandering eyes of younger readers as well as younger employees of media agencies who help decide where marketers buy ads. The theory is that they "should be jolted," said Justin Smith, president for consumer media at the Atlantic Media Co in Washington. "We felt there was a great opportunity, right now, to further inspire our readers and advertisers," he added. His counterpart at The Economist, Paul Rossi, who is based in New York, echoed Smith's decision to seize the moment, fraught as it might be with uncertainty. "I think it's the best possible time" for a campaign, said Rossi, executive vice president and managing director for the Americas at The Economist. "What we have to say has never been more relevant," he added. "We write about the world, about connections between business and politics." The questions appearing in the campaign for The Atlantic are from articles published in the magazine. Some have stimulated newsstand sales, Smith said, citing the issue with the article about Google, which sold about 82,000 copies versus the recent average of 42,000. The ads for The Atlantic in unexpected locales like bodegas are meant to reach media buyers where they eat, buy takeout food and shop. Those are "places where people's brains are most at rest," said Michael Fanuele, managing director for strategy at the magazine's creative agency, Euro RSCG Worldwide, part of Havas. The video clips, aimed at readers as well as advertisers, will be available on the Think Again section of The Atlantic website, and plans call for additional content to be added monthly. Previews of the clips offer a wide variety of responses from the passers-by. On the question "Why do presidents lie?," the replies ranged from "Why do we let them?" to "There'd be more problems if we told the truth." The neon signs, which also appear in print ads and posters, will decorate events sponsored by The Atlantic and eventually end up at the magazine's offices. "We hope to keep one or two for ourselves," said Jose Cabaco, chief creative officer for North America at Euro RSCG. Other agencies working on the campaign for The Atlantic are Cleverworks, for media buying, and the Rosen Group, for PR. There are several agencies working on the campaign for The Economist: BBDO Worldwide, part of the Omnicom Group, for the creative content; PHD, also part of Omnicom, for media buying. NYT