Let it never be said that Madison Avenue isn't creative. From the looks of it, ad agencies are doing their best to maintain any sort of revenue stream:

McCann is launching a $2 million research project to seek clues to tapping demand among Latin America's less-well-off. Starting in March, staffers will spend a week to two weeks living with 100 low-income families in a half-dozen countries, including Colombia, Chile and Mexico, looking to understand how they are influenced by brands, what symbols and celebrities motivate them, and to find innovative ways to influence what they buy.

"The income is low, but they are still eating and bathing, and some cases driving. They are still consuming. They have a life," Mr. Lindner says.

Let that be a lesson: You can never be too poor to be marketed to.

Marketers Pursue the Shallow-Pocketed [WSJ]