McDonald's And Taco Bell Are At War Over Breakfast [THE BRIEF]

Good morning, AdLand. Here's what you need to know today:

McDonald's and Taco Bell are in an advertising war over breakfast, now that the Tex-Mex chain has launched a morning menu that it hopes will sell like (spicy) hotcakes. After Taco Bell made an ad featuring real people named "Ronald McDonald," McDonald's posted this image to its Facebook page, referencing Taco Bell's turn of the millennium chihuahua mascot.

Taco Bell then countered with an Instagram video of someone changing out of McDonald's themed socks and into a new pair with images of Taco Bell breakfast items on them.

Facebook hired Deirdre Davi to be its director of North American business marketing. Davi comes to Facebook from Sterling Brands, where she was an executive vice president for 11 and a half years.

Peet's Coffee & Tea named Razorfish its e-commerce agency. The two parties have signed an interesting deal, whereby Razorfish will provide marketing services in exchange for a share of Peet's Coffee & Tea's e-commerce profits.

NPR is rolling out voice recognition-enabled ads for its mobile app, where people can say things like "download now" or "learn more" to continue audio advertisements.

DigitasLBi San Francisco hired Ben Pfutzenreuter as an associate copywriter. Pfutzenreuter had interned with the agency this past winter and is the creator of Concepting with Convicts, a program Pfutzenreuter and his creative partner corresponded with federal prisoners to develop practice ads.

Peter Sherman is leaving his position as chief executive of JWT North America to join Omnicom, where he will serve as executive vice president and report directly to CEO John Wren.

Ad Age looks at what Western marketers have to lose in the unstable situation in Russia. According to the publication, Western consumer packaged goods companies make $25 billion worth of sales in Russia each year.

RKCR/Y&R was named lead strategic and creative partner for the GREAT Britain campaign, which promotes Britain overseas. As a reminder, Great Britain is the island shared by the countries of England, Wales, and Scotland. The United Kingdom is the state that includes those three countries and Northern Ireland.

Previously on Business Insider Advertising:

• The 10 Most Powerful Tech Brands Today
• 'The Most Interesting Man In The World' Names The Real-Life Most Interesting Man
• Here's Why Pinterest's New Ads Could Draw In A Lot Brands
• Taco Bell Made 2 Changes That Transformed The Brand
• These Are The Most Popular TV Shows For People Who Love Alcohol
• The 10 Most Powerful Car Brands Today