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.
LONDON – BT has acquired retail e-commerce service provider Fresca for an undisclosed sum.
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.
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.
LONDON – Coca-Cola is leveraging its official association with the Rugby Football Union to support the launch of its Powerade Orange.
LONDON – Sheilas’ Wheels, the women’s motor insurance company, is rolling out an ad campaign to promote its new female-focused home insurance product.
LONDON – Stuart Bell, currently director of trading at Feather Brooksbank, has been appointed director of the Manchester office.
LONDON – The BBC is launching a cinema campaign to back the new series of ‘Doctor Who’, in almost 2,000 cinemas.
LONDON – Channel 4 is teaming with Transport for London to run a campaign encouraging people to be more considerate when using public transport.
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.
LONDON – In-flight advertising on airline tray tables is more effective than airport perimeter advertising, according to research by Sony Ericcson and Inviseo Media.
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.
Microhoo!
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.
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.
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
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.
Judging from the results of this week’s Adweek.com poll, few in adland have much respect for GoDaddy. It’s a solid No. 1 choice for the advertiser most likely to toss a turd in the punchbowl with a terrible Super Bowl commercial. Predictably, the general public has higher expectations for the creative stylings of GoDaddy CEO Bob Parsons. When ComScore asked consumers which advertisers they are most looking forward to seeing, Coke and Pepsi tied for the top two slots, followed by Victoria’s Secret. Coming in fourth? GoDaddy—hotly anticipated by a solid 16 percent of respondents.
—Posted by Brian Morrissey
Monopoly is going global! The Hasbro game is developing a world edition, and is asking fans to select which cities make the game board by nominating and then voting on them online. (An interactive map shows the cities that are in the lead.) As expected, Boston, New York, Chicago, Las Vegas and Washington, D.C., are muscling out the Toledos and Boises to grab the lead in U.S. votes. Since I don’t feel like registering with Hasbro’s Web site, I’ll go ahead and nominate Baltimore from here. It’s perfect: Rent’s cheap, our public utilities are always on the auction block, and I can’t think of a better place to have a “Get out of jail free†card.
—Posted by David Kiefaber
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