Green Eggs – Mexican Chicken Lays Modern Marvels

A chicken named Rabanita from Huecatitla, Mexico, has become a local celebrity after laying green eggs. Rabanita has been in all the local papers, featured on YouTube, and on Televisa TV.

“My children say that God looks favorably on me so that I was given as a prize a chicken that lays green eggs,…

SuperAdFreak to host live Super Bowl chat

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After unleashing a 22-headed blog monster during last year’s Super Bowl, this year we’ll be trying something a little different on the big day: a live chat. Beginning around kickoff time, a handful of industry creatives, as well as Barbara Lippert and Eleftheria Parpis of Adweek, will be discussing the Super Bowl advertising as it happens over on our pigskin blog, SuperAdFreak. Those scheduled to participate include: Steve Bassett of The Martin Agency, William Gelner of 180, Todd Grant of Cole & Weber, Eric Hirshberg of Deutsch/LA, Jason Karley of DDB Chicago, Bob Moore of Publicis, Ted Royer of Droga 5, and Rob Schwartz of TBWA\Chiat\Day. So, please join us on Sunday afternoon at SuperAdFreak.com as our crack team discusses, in real time, the best and worst of the day’s commercials.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Microsoft Makes $44.6 Billion Bid For Yahoo

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Microsoft, following its unsuccessful bid a year ago, has made an unexpected and unsolicited bid for troubled Yahoo as it continues its efforts to compete with and/or topple (never happen) Google.

BT acquires e-commerce services company Fresca

LONDON – BT has acquired retail e-commerce service provider Fresca for an undisclosed sum.

Better Than A Sobriety Test

People often emerge from their favorite bar in a good mood, which makes it a perfect time to quiz them.

According to Adweek, Endemol USA and video entertainment site Metacafe plat to do just that with Buzzed, an online after-hours game show. The show will focus on bar and nightclub goers answering a series of trivia questions as they depart popular establishments nationwide.

Erick Hachenburg, CEO of Metacafe said, “Buzzed is a great example of original short-form video content that puts the power of the Internet to good use. It’s interactive, engaging and entertaining.”

Slated to launch this spring, Buzzed is now in pre-production in cities including New York, Chicago, Miami, Boston and San Francisco.

Standard offers client space in research push

LONDON – The Evening Standard is launching two trade competitions as part of the activity surrounding the launch of consumer insight research into its affluent London “Influentials” audience.

Powerade uses 6 Nations to launch orange variant

LONDON – Coca-Cola is leveraging its official association with the Rugby Football Union to support the launch of its Powerade Orange.

Sheilas’ Wheels launches ad campaign for female home insurance product

LONDON – Sheilas’ Wheels, the women’s motor insurance company, is rolling out an ad campaign to promote its new female-focused home insurance product.

Feather promotes Bell to director of Manchester office

LONDON – Stuart Bell, currently director of trading at Feather Brooksbank, has been appointed director of the Manchester office.

BBC launches cinema push to back Doctor Who

LONDON – The BBC is launching a cinema campaign to back the new series of ‘Doctor Who’, in almost 2,000 cinemas.

C4 teams with TfL for solus ad

LONDON – Channel 4 is teaming with Transport for London to run a campaign encouraging people to be more considerate when using public transport.

News reporter who gets bird poo in mouth is viral for some soda-pop, or something.

Ther are so many layers of “fake – gotcha!” in this that I can’t be bothered doing anything but laughing. See the “making of” bird poops in mouth inside.

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Sony reports campaign success from in-flight ads

LONDON – In-flight advertising on airline tray tables is more effective than airport perimeter advertising, according to research by Sony Ericcson and Inviseo Media.

Kellogg’s Cornflakes seeks to recreate Nescafe Couple in new TV campaign

LONDON – Kellogg is seeking to emulate the success of the 80s ‘Nescafe Couple’ with the launch of its first TV campaign promoting its flagship Cornflakes brand for five years.

Microsoft to Buy Yahoo. Google to Scratch Chin.

Microhoo!

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According to Market Watch, Microsoft Corp. offered to buy search-engine operator Yahoo Inc. for $31 a share, or $44.6 billion, in an effort to better compete with online-advertising juggernaut Google Inc.

Microsoft executives acknowledged that Google is the 800-pound gorilla of the search market and said a partnership with Yahoo would create a stronger rival.

“We’re very, very confident that this is the right path for Microsoft and Yahoo,” Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said in a conference call Friday morning.

In an appeal to Yahoo employees, who are nervous about pending layoffs, Microsoft said it would offer significant retention packages to Yahoo engineers, key leaders and employees across all disciplines.

Today In Twitterverse: Crackberry Behavior

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Fred Wilson is a VC.

Stock Tip

According to The Wall Street Journal, research from the University of Wisconsin suggests that shares of Super Bowl advertisers tend to outperform the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index in the week after the game.

Things you can learn from Super Bowl ads

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Everything I need to know in life, I learned from Super Bowl commercials.
  • Apple, “1984” (1984): World without Macintosh computers resembles Xerox world headquarters during Olympics-themed shareholders meeting.
  • Budweiser, “Frogs” (1995): Frogs like beer, live in ponds.
  • Coca-Cola, “Mean Joe Greene” (1979): NFL linebackers are good-natured, big-hearted, salt-of-the-earth types with soft spots for kids. They don’t live in ponds.
  • E*Trade, “Monkey” (2000): Men evolved from apes, but not very far.
  • GoDaddy, various (2006-present): Women, clearly, evolved much, much farther.
  • Monster.com, “When I Grow Up” (1999): It’s best to work in middle management, though companies that look like the one in Apple’s “1984” spot are probably best avoided.
  • Salesgenie, “What If” (2007): Salesgenie’s middle management ranks also aren’t so hot. Note to self: IM resume to GoDaddy.
  • Xerox, “Monks” (1977): God helps the faithful replace toner, fix paper jams.
  Visit adweek.com/superbowl for coverage of this year’s ads, tons of video, our SuperAdFreak blog and a chance to vote for your favorite big-game spots!

—Posted by David Gianatasio

RMG Connect hires two for planning and creative work

LONDON – RMG Connect has hired Tony O’Toole as its new executive planning director and poached Gary Fraser from Claydon Heeley as a creative business partner.

Microsoft Bids $44.6 Billion for Yahoo

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — In a move that could dramatically alter the shape of the internet for both consumers and advertisers, Microsoft has offered a $44.6 billion bid to acquire web giant Yahoo. Check back to AdAge.com for more details as this story unfolds.