Check out Suzanne Vranica's top 10 ways to break through to consumers with nontraditional media: (Wall Street Journal, Nov. 21-05). Not a WSJ subscriber? Here are the highlights:

1. Companies are sponsoring content or sending text messages directly to individual cellphones.
2. Inform and entertain through video email -- like the new Xbox Perfect Dark Zero campaign.
3. Weave your products into the plots of entertainment programs.
4. Invite consumers to play games or enter contests. Engagement = product sales.
5. Good news! Being cheap isn't enough anymore. Today, it's all about design: Target
6. To reach young men, forget TV (they don't watch it). Try video game ads.

7. Play to a specific culture and its beliefs. Orthodox Jews believe they should help those less fortunate, so P&G's Biomat trucked giant washing machines to people, who donated clothing that Biomat washed and redistributed to the needy. Market share is up 50%

8. Reach a whole city or segment suburban households by ZIP Code.

9. Forget the scratch n sniff perfume strip. Sponsor an entire magazine or embed microchips to add sound to your print ads.

10. Use many smaller agencies instead of or in addition to one large agency. Take advantage of quirky, one-of-a-kind creative thinking from multiple sources.

Put that Halloween candy away! Retailers already are revving up for the December holidays. See USA Today.