JC Penney, Inc. (NYSE: JCP) has never missed an opportunity to reinvent itself as often as Madonna. The semi-upscale retailer is trying to find out how to reach increasingly stubborn consumers who are not only holding back funds from discretionary purchases, but are finding non-media ways to spend their time. Think those multi-platform ad dollars going into print and television are reaching younger consumers? Think again.

As a result, JC Penney has targeted young females who may play games using the internet and advertising embedded into games to try and reach that elusive group. Just like when it marketed to college freshmen by sponsoring the Academy Awards, this marketing effort is highly targeted and risky, but it's what is needed. JC Penney recruited EVB to help it with this rather unique marketing campaign.

Although JC Penney has been successful at reinventing itself many times, the retailer wants to move beyond the association with moms and form relationships with the daughters, according to the retailer. Not content with a MySpace page and some display ads on female-oriented sites, JC Penney enlisted EVB to create a game called "Dork Dodge" and it was an instant hit with the test audience.

From a retailer's perspective, this is just what is needed. Retailers trying to reach new money and recruit money from other areas need to re-think where they are spending money, and that means thinking outside the box. Trying to reach any teen audience means almost completely bypassing television and print and going directly to the web. And, if you can, integrating mobile into that strategy however possible.