Microsoft has had its ups and downs in marketing. In the last decade, wanting to promote its products, it has presented several commercials which are incredible.
We do not know which teams in Microsoft decide which ad will air and which will not, but let's see what this company has done in a decade. Microsoft has not always been at the forefront of marketing. In its ten year history you will see from aggressive ads of Windows Phone, even sexy ads for the Surface lineup. Let's see 12 Microsoft ads.
Microsoft Kin (2010)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efRoTiScl7s
This completely bad Microsoft Kin ad from 2010 shows almost everything a marketing department should avoid. We get a bunch of fancy images that explain virtually nothing about what the product does, hoping that the "coolness" will win the impressions. The kin was an amazing failure, so much so that we are sure many of you have not even heard of it!
Madobe Nanami Windows 7 anime (2010)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nngGGBkjMpU
Back in the early 2010s, Microsoft Japan produced a series of anime ads, personalizing various operating systems as kawaii anime girls. This one of 2010 introduces some of the features of Windows 7, including early touch support.
Nokia Lumia 800 (2011)
This spot is a Nokia ad and not a Microsoft ad. Maybe that's why the spot presented Windows Phone much better than Microsoft itself was trying to do.
Microsoft “Productivity” (2011)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6cNdhOKwi0
It's not exactly a commercial, but it's worth a look. This futuristic spot features some of Microsoft's ambitions for the future of technology and productivity. Most of them will probably not pass, but it is fun to dream about the future.
Surface (2012)
While the trailer is well stocked, it was undoubtedly one of the worst ways to present a new product range. A bunch of people are dancing and jumping around Surface devices, and the viewer is trying to understand the subject and get information about why the Surface is worth it or not. We do not know if the marketing department is still in place but, surely the future ads that will come out will be much better than this.
“Everything at once” Windows 8 (2012)
Windows 8 was the operating system that did not last long. Windows 8.1 and immediately after Windows 10 did not leave many years of life at 8. The ad tries to tell the viewer that the new generation of Windows do everything in a single operating system.
Internet Explorer 11 anime (2013)
Again with animation Microsoft tried to introduce Internet Explorer 11 in the middle of 2013. How good it would be if the program browsing it was as cool as the trailer, which looks like some MARVEL story.
"Do not fight" - Windows Phone (2013)
This was a clever ad. Microsoft's aggressive Windows Phone 8 spot did negative advertising and pitted itself against iPhones and Galaxy. The ad pokes fun at Apple and Samsung, positioning the Lumia 920 as a colorful alternative.
iPad vs. Windows 8 (2013)
Microsoft has created a series of ads highlighting Windows 8 as an alternative to the iPad, presenting products such as the old Dell Venue 8 Pro as a cheaper and more powerful option for Windows. Windows will eventually end up far behind the iPad in the battle of "third-party tablets", with few applications supporting it ergonomically, but Apple "borrowed" many features Windows 8 and Surface pioneered in the following years.
Xbox One Reveals (2013)
Watching this trailer again as it starts in 2020 we are surprised to find the following: Almost every feature featured in this trailer has been stripped of the Xbox One, or just never passed. The networking of the Kinect camera had so many problems that it finally stopped. "Live TV" was sidelined in favor of custom entertainment applications. Skype on your Xbox? who asked about it? In retrospect we can say that it was probably the most irrelevant trailer in the history of Microsoft.
Surface Book (2015)
An epic Microsoft ad lined with music reminiscent of triumph and victorious battle. However, as an advertisement, it is not irrelevant and essentially centers and presents the product correctly.
“Pure Imagination” Surface Studio (2016)
The advertising team behind Surface Studio reveals that an ad can be sexy by highlighting the curves of Surface Studio, with an incredible and inspiring performance of "pure imagination” from the 70s movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
“Minecraft Super Duper Musical” (2017)
Here's a fun ad that Microsoft probably hopes Xbox fans will forget. Microsoft made a song and dance (literally) for the Super Duper graphics package for Minecraft, which would update the game with new shaders and effects. Unfortunately, the Super Duper graphics package was killed by the company and never saw the light of day.
Surface Duo (2019)
Microsoft created this ad to showcase the capabilities of the Surface Duo. There is no lack of exaggeration, but the message gets through clearly and leaves no questions for the viewer. And of course the Microsoft machine is running Android !.
“Mac Book says” Surface Laptop 2 (2019)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSS5SKs4UA0
Another aggressive ad by Microsoft that makes a direct comparison between the Surface laptop 2 and the Apple Mac Book, starring a guy called Mackenzie "Mac" Book that buries the Apple laptop for 30 seconds, which is the duration of the advertising.
Lucy and the Reindeer (2019)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnmy7IPE08I
Microsoft has produced a number of fun Christmas ads over the past few years. This one from 2019 is worth watching if you haven't seen it already. The ad shows off some of the features of the Surface Pro X and Bing Translate.
"We All Win" Microsoft Super bowl (2019)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YISTzpLXCY
Microsoft made millions of viewers cry when it used the ad of the new Xbox Controller to point out players with disabilities. Microsoft's aggressive ads on accessibility features are a surefire way to promote a product, and the company not only focuses on them but also emphasizes why they are so important.
If you've seen another Microsoft ad of the past decade that you think we missed, you just have to fill it in with a message.
