• The New York Times , Friday, October 3, 2008 11 AM

If you're one of those people who likes advertising with your crumb bun, dig into Stuart Elliott's advertising column this morning. Seems like the Atlantic is writing pithy brain teasers like "Is war a sport" on laminated cards and sticking them into the pastries on display at the local bodega. The magazine's name and the tagline --"Think. Again." -- in the lower right corner. There also will be video clips of citizens on the street answering the questions on theatlantic.com/thinkagain. Set a calendar alert for Monday because the site is not live yet.

The Economist, meanwhile, is launching a "Get a world view campaign" with its own wacky components: a spoof of the game Twister and sponsorship of a political satire by the Second City comedy troupe, for starters. There also will be pizza boxes that "improbably" bear its name.

I hate to sound like an anal COO, but down the road I'd love to see the ROI figures on these campaigns. Then again, who's to account for what motivates the human mind? The Wall Street Journal reports that folks wary of the stock market are investing more substantial assets like alpacas, urban parking spaces and champagne (as well as that old standby, gold coins).

Read the whole story at The New York Times »