The golden mean

It looks like J. C. Penney is seeking the middle ground in their new ad approach and new agency Saatchi.

J.C. Penney's desire to reposition its brand as the preferred choice in the "hearts and minds of Middle America" drove its decision last week to shift creative duties from DDB to Saatchi & Saatchi, said Penney chief marketing officer Mike Boylson. The shift came after months of presentations by both DDB in Chicago and Saatchi in New York.

"We believe that the hearts and the minds of Middle America are up for grabs," Boylson said Friday. "Middle America is really underserved. And we think there's a unique opportunity in owning the middle, owning the moderate space."

Not that I know much about advertising or positioning -- I'm strictly a trade promo guy -- but all the talk about the country going high/low (it's either Wal-Mart or Nordstrom) has struck me as overdone. I think JCP has the right idea. In any case, we'll see.