Quicker than a cat on an unsuspecting robin, Target Stores jumped on our economic fears with new television advertising. "The New..." ad shows happy families experiencing "the new night out" in the backyard, "the new playroom" in a tent, and so-on, each built around a product with a typically affordable price from Target. It’s a refreshing change from advertising that either seems to have not caught up with the changing economy or sounds kind of desperate in its attempts to move product into a nervous market.

Back when things were rosy, Target was breaking new ground by buying up the entire ad space of an issue of the New Yorker; today, without missing a beat, they’re turning economic lemons into some very refreshing lemonade. I don’t know whether Target turned this stuff out overnight or saw this all coming before the rest of us, but either way, kudos to their advertising folks.