Microsoft is recruiting influencers to try to make Copilot as popular as ChatGPT

Microsoft needs this help. The company recently reported that its Copilot suite of assistants attracts 150 million monthly active users. But OpenAI’s ChatGPT claims 800 million weekly active users, while Google’s Gemini has 650 million monthly users.

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Microsoft has the advantage among enterprise customers thanks to its long history of selling software and cloud services. However, it has faced difficulties in conquering the consumer market – especially those under 30 years of age.

“We are a competitive brand in this space, and we are on the rise,” Youssef Mahdi, director of consumer marketing, said in an interview.

Mahdi hopes to convince key influencers to make Copilot their chatbot of choice, and then use its popularity to spread the word about the assistant to millions of followers. He claims that Microsoft is already seeing better results with influencers than with traditional media, although he did not provide metrics.

Mahdi and the influential figures mentioned in the report also refused to reveal the amount they receive in exchange for promoting the Copilot program.

Many companies have invested in influencers in recent years. In 2020, for example, Dunkin’ Brands Group partnered with the popular Charli D’Amelio to launch a custom drink called “The Charli,” which it promoted to millions of followers.

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Thousands of influencers routinely post about products being sold on Amazon’s online store, and this month the company invited several internet personalities to attend the Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards ceremony in New York. Considered by many to be the original influencer, Kim Kardashian has used her online fame to turn her lingerie and casual fashion brand, Skims, into a massive global success.

Anindya Ghose, a marketing professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business, said he was surprised Microsoft turned to lifestyle influencers to promote Copilot. However, he understands the appeal of his loyal followers.

– Even if the perceived credibility of the influencer is not very high, if the familiarity with him is great, there are people who will be willing to take that bait – said Goss in an interview.

He doubts Microsoft will continue with the program if it doesn’t have any impact.

-So I’m sure it works. The question is: could it be better? “I bet, in a few months, they might start testing AI influencers for comparison,” Goss said.

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Using people who aren’t tech experts as spokespeople is part of Microsoft’s strategy to bolster a campaign that sells its chatbot as an affordable life coach. Or as consumer AI head Mustafa Suleiman recently wrote in an article, an AI companion that “helps you think, plan and dream.”

A social media star is being recruited

The company recently hired social media star Alex Earle, who rose to fame by sharing personal details about her life in her popular Get Ready With Me videos. The 24-year-old New Jersey native has amassed a total of 12.6 million followers across her Instagram and TikTok accounts, and parlayed that popularity into a spot on the current season of Dancing With the Stars.

In June, Alex participated, alongside Yousef Mahdi, in a panel discussion on digital impact at the prestigious Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Alex Earle and Microsoft develop ideas together, but have the freedom to improvise. For example, on her way to a taping in May, she asked the co-pilot how she looked younger, with some followers commenting that she “looks 40.”

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The chatbot responded that she should “focus on a good skincare routine.” The video has received 15.4 million views on Alix’s TikTok, nearly double the number of her followers on the platform. She commented on the video with the phrase: “The co-pilot is my teacher and my therapist,” accompanied by the hashtag #copilotpartner.

Mahdi cited a video in which Alex talks about the new Copilot Groups feature as evidence that the campaign is paying off.

“We can clearly see people saying, ‘Oh, I’m going to test this,’ and we can track the usage it generates.”

The video has received 1.9 million views on Alix’s Instagram and seven million on TikTok. Earle declined to comment for this story.

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Twin sisters Brigitte and Danielle Vilong are the first to admit that they are not official spokespersons for Copilot. The 28-year-old Australian has attracted a total of 3.4 million followers on Instagram and TikTok with her fashion and beauty videos.

– Who would have thought that the girl who made thousands of views videos about hair curlers would now promote AI through Microsoft Copilot? It’s crazy – Brigitte said in an interview.

To interest women ages 18-34 in the chatbot, the Phelungs recently asked Copilot to help them create 70s- and 80s-inspired looks for New York Fashion Week.

Based on the robot’s suggestions, the twins dressed in their finest late 20th century clothing. No homage to the ’80s would be complete without structured shoulders, and Copilot suggested that Danielle tuck stockings inside her blouse to achieve the desired effect.

Many TikTok users reacted enthusiastically to the video:

– The co-pilot is the best – someone said.

-I just downloaded it. We should have this in school – commented another.

Watching these videos, it’s easy to forget that the Copilot brand is most popular among office professionals, who use it to organize large amounts of information, summarize meetings, and look up data they would previously have found through Google. But that’s not exactly the goal of the campaign.

– Mahdi said that the idea of ​​a co-pilot is to enable you to be the best version of yourself.

Brandon Edelman, known online as Bran Flakezz and with 1.7 million followers on Instagram and TikTok, has recorded professional videos with the Copilot team in Los Angeles. In which he talks to a chatbot about everyday topics, like dating, travel, and imposter syndrome. Most of the videos were posted to Copilot’s official TikTok account, which has a relatively modest 176,000 followers.

In one video, Edelman asks the co-pilot:

-If I die, for example, do I still have to pay my credit card bills?

The co-pilot answered emphatically:

-Yes, debts do not disappear.

Microsoft captioned the TikTok post with: “With Copilot, there’s no such thing as an awkward question.”

To date, Copilot’s influencer campaign has attracted big names and generated hundreds of millions of views. The question is whether this will help Microsoft bridge the usage gap between Copilot and ChatGPT. Gartner analyst Jason Wong is skeptical:

At this point, it will be very difficult for them to surpass ChatGPT among consumers, he said.