• New York Times, Los Angeles Times , Monday, November 10, 2008 10:45 AM

There's a telling anecdote on the top of Stephanie Clifford and Stuart Elliott's roundup of the downward mobility of advertising campaigns this morning. A location scout who used to search out aspirational mansions for marketers now finds that they are demanding homes that look middle class or blue collar.

"We don't want the audience to think that only rich people can afford our product," clients are telling Sasha Tsyrlin.

It also seems that it's rude to appear flush, even if you are. I guess we can look forward to the rise of the Nouveau Poor, Walmart Wannabes and Less-Is-More Lemmings -- at least on some magazine covers. But give me a shout when the Obamas start eating Snickers bars and the fashion trend hits the price tags of the duds in Vogue. If it should, we'll probably be reading about it online.

In a similar story in the Los Angeles Times , Alana Samuels points out that even luxury brands are promoting value. Ads for BMW's dealer group in L.A., for example, are focusing less on performance and prestige and more on safety and savings.

"We're moving toward an era of conscious consumption -- just because I can afford to buy something doesn't mean I'm going to buy it," Mike Sheldon, president of Deutsch LA, tells her.

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