A lovely part of my job is that I get to read the USA Today to look for prospects for our company (…companies that may spend marketing dollars at our universities…). Today’s USA Today was pretty great. Two great ads and one great article.
The first picture is the Target ad. On the right side, it is a full page ad discussing how, at Target, you can get more for less. On the left, Market Pantry (Target brand) products are scattered through the center of the page, with no relation to the articles surrounding it. It is a great use of space in the paper and it is an attention-catcher.
The second ad is a Starbucks ad. I realize that you can’t read the text in the picture below. 
But, the headline reads “It’s not just what you’re buying. It’s what you’re buying into.” The ad proceeds to elaborate on all of the reasons why it is worth it for you to pay a small premium on a cup of coffee. A few of the reasons include: getting the best fair-trade coffee beans, providing healthcare coverage to the valuable employees (even during this tough time), and providing a great atmosphere because “we all need places like that these days”. Good job, Starbucks. I truly feel more justified in spending a small premium for your coffee.
The last treasure in today’s USA Today was an article written about John Calvin, a Protestant Reformer, and how his views on the world would have allowed him to predict the kind of mess we find ourselves in now. Read it for yourself (because it is hard to regurgitate such wisdom in my own words) and read of how the sinfulness of man and American idolatry led us to where we are today.
