Beatboxing in suit and ties: the latest video for the Surface Pro

By Sam Sabri
last updated

If you follow Surface creator Panos Panoy and director Jon Chu on Twitter, you’re probably tired of the constant teasing of tweets over a future Surface commercial. Well, you can finally relax and see what the creative minds have been up to for the latest ad for the Surface Pro. Catch the video after the break.

While Microsoft might argue that the Surface RT can equally consume and create content, others would argue the Surface Pro would be the superior work device. And that is exactly the tone the advertisement sets. The focus of the Surface Pro in the corporate environment shows where Microsoft envisions the Surface Pro taking a strong foothold.

Which ad was your favorite between the Surface RT and Surface Pro? Also, what is your overall impression of the advertising campaign for the Surface? Would you do anything different?

Source: YouTube

99 Comments
  • Love it! Better ad than last time. This one actually shows some of the features.
  • Yes.. the pen. .. the feature everyone was moaning about 10 years ago when they where using a tablet or smartphone :)
  • Also the feature that everyone IS moaning about on their galaxy note and note 10"
  • dont know about that.. but maybe in 2 years we will have smartphones with keyboards again and everyone will love it. well hopefully they will sell some surfaces so we get some proper attention on win8
  • But also - and this is one of the most important features I think - a USB port.
  • ^THIS^
  • There. Fixt it for you.:
    "Yes.. the pen. .. the feature everyone was moaning about 10 years ago when they where using a MICROSOFT TabletPC tablet or PocketPC :)"
     
    :-D
  • ..or a palm. I can't tell you how many times I lost those pens.
  • These commercials are really great... People don't want to know everything about it... They just want to know it's cool. A catchy ad that solidifies the brand in the minds of people is a success imo.
  • Very clever ad. Focusing on the pros of the pro, full usb input and digitizer pen support. Now all they need to do is get this thing in shops.......quicker.
  • Doesn't the rt support pen?
  • Unfortunately, no
  • You can use those one of those crappy pens with a rubber tip on the RT. This pen is a wacom pen than is way more accurate and can sense different pressure being applied. It's not in the same league. You can actually draw with this one.
  • well thats lame.
  • I love this ad. It's nice to see Microsoft doing ads that make its new products appear as cool as they really are.
  • My only regret is that Microsoft will never release RT & Pro in India. We don't even have a online store,leave alone a physical one. Why Microsoft why? Don't you think we can afford one?
  • How I wish you could have both, friend.
  • Agreed, perhaps import it through Singapore? Too bad though.
  • Nice ad
  • Neat!!! I want one even more now
  • Microsoft finally got a good ad team?
  • I like how the used the same guy from the Surface RT ad, kinda like a natural progression for him. I love my surface rt, most especially for the amazing battery life, I'm still blown away that I can run a windows pc on battery for a whole day. The apps I want and need are there, and I know more are coming.
  • I know this is probably irrelevant to the subject, but that dancer they used is actually a very good Breakdancer (bboy). I'm not sure if he still does, but he use to compete in Bboy competitions around the world and he's recognized as one of the best. His street name is Bboy Cloud. Anyways seeing him do these commercials is pretty exciting.
     
  • Good catch! In the first ad it's like he's in college or grad school, now he's all grown up and working up the corporate ladder. 
  • I know! And he did it in only a few months! j/k
  • And did you notice how it's officially referred to as simply "Surface Pro". You must be exstatic about that ;)
  • This ad is terrifingly bad! Seriosely, pie charts? What is it trying to tell us? Even "cool" people have to work with pie charts eventually. And that's pretty much all that thing can do. Wow, Microsoft really seems scared that the average costumer won't understand a product unless it's pie chart compatible. ugh...
  • How about office women that dance on tables?
  • Right? Just like they do in real life.
  • Thanks for a good laugh :)
  • Great ad. Conveys the message that this tablet is for work without being boring or losing people's interest. Definitely highlights one of the biggest difficencies of the competition. This is a tablet you can actually be productive with.
  • I dig it.  I will certainly check out the 2nd gen if it comes out.  I'm just not too enamoured with the battery life.  Too much laptop and not enough tablet. 
  • So u want the RT then?
  • But then he won't be as productive ;-)
  • I like acting, music was pretty bad and dull though
  • Microsoft needs to fire every single guy in their marketing department. Every single one. This is ad is garbage. Microsoft needs to take a clue from Apple, Google (that recently started making better Apple ads than Apple) and Samsung.
    I'm thiking about buying a Sufrace Pro (if ever find one, WTF is wrong with Google and Microsoft, I want a Nexus 4, I can't freaking buy one, I want a Surface Pro, I can't freaking buy one) but this ad won't sell a single device, my GF's immediate reacion was "I don't want to see people dance with a rectangle in their hands, I want to see what it can do for me". And no, drawing a tick on top of an Excel sheet is not what this device could do for me.
  • So you would go to the website for more information. Sheesh.
  • Actually, drawing a tick on top of an Excel sheet is something the device could do for you. Watch the video again, they demo it.
  • I know that, I was making fun of that, not actually stating I wanted to draw a tick.
  • My wife saw it and wanted it instantly. And it seems like we're much more down to Earth people than you are.
  • LOL!
  • Funny thing. If she wanted to know what it could do for her, she could look it up. The ad is there to build awareness and hype. My cousin called me last night asking about the Surface and Surface Pro. It seemed to come out of the blue because she was planning on getting an iPad. But she said she saw the commercial.
  • I agree completely. This ad is only cool for Microsoft fanboy squares... The people who are already interested.
  • You are confused, it´s exacly the other way around. This type of add is perfect for people that don´t know about the surface pro yet. It´s there to build awareness. Obviously other adds with more focus on what the device can do will roll out at a later stage. This add is perfect for introducing the device
  • Exactly, it even says "Introducing Surface Pro" at the end of the video.  Its called a teaser.
  • What use is this ad if you cannot actually buy it  Forget Surface Pro, RT is yet to arrive to my country (India). It's been more than 3 months already.
    May be the Pro will come to our shores next year when I will probably be rocking a nokia made win 8 tablet  Worst case scenario, I may have to buy a Samsung made win 8 Ativ.
  • I get that MS are trying to sell it as something you can do business on. But showing pie charts and the pen purely used as a single pressure pen is so insanely dull.
     
    Couldn't they have someone doing some lovely photoshop work on it? Using the pen properly?
     
    In this ad, other than the pen, they could all be using Surface RTs!
     
    I also don't think this ad will play so well over here in the UK, where we tend to be more cynical and don't generally want to see people dancing about on TV like loons! ;)
  • That sounds a lot more dull considering the vast majority of people don't use or understand Photoshop. It might be good for a niche ad, but not a general one.
  • Its a great ad for a product I want to buy badly.
     
    Unfortunately they have made it incredibly difficult to buy, produced and shipped grossly insufficient stock and won't take my money and order to ship when available. Just let me pay you online to be in queue for the 128GB model when it is available, to which MS says no keep checking a bunch of websites and stop into our inconveniently located stores, take time out of your schedule and maybe, someday, we will accept your money for the stuff we sell.  Such a frustrating experience, similar to the Windows 8 download debacle.  Stop trying to sell technology like concert tickets prior to the dawn of the internet.  
  • Really cool Ad, btw the guy is one of Madonna´s dancers... you can see him in the Hung Up video, he's a fucking genious dancer...
  • Interesting. Didn't now this. Are you talking about the main guy in the ad?
  • Just watched the video and I have much respect for him. They couldn't have cast better for the Surface ads!
  • It's Daniel 'Cloud' Campos, and he seems to be a really talented actor/dancer.
  • Haha that bloke has a mad imagination lol
  • Really cool ad. Hope to get mine soon!
  • LOL... Haven't seen this ad on the tube yet but me likes. A welcome departure from the typical stodgy adverts and if MSFT can promise I'll "bust a move" similarly, you've got a deal!
  • I've seen this before, I think months ago.. Maybe its because I'm in the US... Cool commercial, but once again I don't think it focuses on the product enough to temporarily turn anyone's attention away from what is already ingrained in their minds, which are products from Apple, and Google.. I would just one day like to see a commercial that simply says "look what it does! It does this, and this, and this, and this!!"" What's so hard about that?
  • I think you are confusing this one with the old Surface RT ad.
     
    This one clearly shows that you can tap on tiny spreadsheet cells using a pen. Woman who need that for work are falling in love with Surface Pro at first sight.
  • Zzzz
  • Loved the ad...the visuals were great, but can we get a remix on that song.
  • I don't like the surface ads. I thought they were cool at first but now... Come on Microsoft, get it together... If we want the surface (Win8 is riding on its shoulders) to be a success then we need to show people its abilities. Swipping to the right at the Start screen on the video but not launching a single thing; what is the purpose of that? The pen, isn't it pressure sensitive? Couldn't they have done something to show a thin line then a thick one as pressure is applied while running PhotoShop? I know MS is trying to appeal to the youth but... They are advertising dancing lessons more than the Surface right now...
  • Cool ad
  • 5 bilion windows users waiting for next generion windows device - surface! Yes 5 bilion!!!
  • Stupid is about the best I can come up with.   But I'm 50 and I don't think I was quite the target for this comercial...
  • I don't know if it highlights all the features of the surface but that was entertaining! Pleasantly surprised. Runs Office, has kickstand, writes on tablet, has USB support, for a corporate environment. Makes sense to me. Plus done in a very cool way, nicely done.
  • You can find more from the beatboxer on youtube. His name is "KRNFX"
  • +1  I was watching the video of the Vegas show over the weekend and thought "that sounds like some of the stuff KRNFX does...then later he tweeted out this commercial.  Won't lie, I couldn't remember how he spelt KRNFX, I thought it was "KORNFX".  I didn't think I listened to much Beatboxing but to be able to pick out a guy on his sound impressed me, haha.
  • Great ad. Captures both form and function in a beautiful way ala Apple marketing, but with a harder (business too versus Apple toy) touch. I love that there are some callbacks to the first dance commercial which showed RT as a "fun yet serious" device with the younger set, though again that one should have shouted "Microsoft Office Home & Student included" to pull in the high school, college crowd, etc,. Would have made the pricing make more sense. Anyhow, figures Microsoft would release this "business-focused" commercial as I sit here on a business trip after NOT getting my pre-order Surface Pro on Friday before leaving town. Sad about that but happy that Microsoft has finally started to learn how to market! Now if they can figure out fulfillment... ;-)
  • This ad was cool. The part where the bosses come in and start going crazy was funny. If the goal was to get that initial positive reaction from viewing the ad, MS accomplished its goal. I think a follow up should be a photoshop-centered artist ad with some kool use of the pressure sensitive pen.
     
    Oh, and that guy totally sold out to the corporate world, j/k. He should've been a fighter pilot with his Surface or he should've put the Surface on the Mars rover or something.
  • The Surface ads are just awful. My girlfriend's dad had no idea what they were even advertising when we saw it last night. Visually they're neat but in terms of getting people to understand the product it's terrible.
  • Considering that it debuted during the Grammys, the commercial was appropriate. I don't know, however, how they plan to focus on any features in future commercials with the music and dancing theme.
    It will be interesting to see what the follow up commercials will be.
  • Just stupid
  • Man if I had a surface pro (currently running an Asus win8 laptop and surface rt) and I knew how to create videos I would do such a better job
  • I was so excited to get the surface pro...been waiting for it since it was announced. I've been calling different placed for stock availability and no one has it. Turned me off so bad I eneded up buying the Acer Iconia with 18 hrs of battery life. ...
  • So u waited a full 48 hours before u bought something else? Please, get out of here troll...
  • Why is he a troll?
  • For a second there when you said 18 hrs I thought you were talking 18 Metric Hours...you must be using some sort of an Imperial system for time though...since it is actually about 6 hours. According to most spec sheets. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2415074,00.asp
  • People complaining about this commercial...stop. The commercial is supposed to bring attention and awareness to the surface and it does that in a big way, we need more Windows phone commercials like this.
  • Surface phone? :D
  • Quick question, how many surface rt units did hey sell using a similar commercial at launch? 
  • I really dig the ad!!!! Plus I got my hands on one this weekend. Love it!!! Sorry for those missed out though. Hopefully there will be more in stock soon. :)
  • Here's what I learned from this commercial: The thing clicks and has a USB port. End of story. Not sure that's a good strategy. But then again...if they reveal too much regarding the Pro - specially the crappy battery life - people may not want to buy it at all.
  • Fantastic ad!! Loved it.
  • This is embarassing. Is their stragegy to annoy people like the IE ad?
  • Great add to gain awareness. People who don´t like this add don´t get it. It´s simply meant to associate fun and cool with the surface pro and being productive. Later adds will be more descriptive of its features, although the pen, quickstand and usb use in this video already show some things that make it special.
  • "Later adds (sic) will be more descriptive of its features"
    They didn't do that with the RT.
  • I'm gonna start beat boxing and break dancing during today's meeting with the state's ISO committee meeting. I hope they get the reference.
  • I'd love to see a poll that shows the age of the people who loved it VS the people who hated it.
    I've a feeling the younger crowd liked it more than the older crowd.  I love tech and love the surface but the comercial totally turned me off (I'm older...).
  • I'm 22 and I hate it (along with the RT dancing one). Where's the line of what age would you consider "young" and "old"?
  • Tough question Racxie, but if I have to pull a number out of the air, I'd have to say 35+ (puts me as OLD).
    I noticed that I stopped being the target consumer for most commercials and adds around then...
  • I want to call it " Surface Bro"
  • Funny - both my wife and 12yr old kid immediately commented that the commercial should show it running MS Office. As my kid put it, "that's the one thing the iPad can't do that I wish it could".
  • Heehee I've had about 5 people asking me to see my Surface Pro after having seen the commercial last night on the Grammy's. Haahaa I told them it was sold out everywhere. All of them gave me the same WTF look. Funny and sad at the same time.
  • I really wish MS would stop with these dancing ads, they're horrendous! They make me ashamed wanting a Surface. And honestly if it wasn't for the fact that I already want one, these ads would have put me off for good.
  • Word.
  • Apple makes a commercial about 1 function that their product does. Android sarcastically says what their phone does. Microsoft is trying to be different from these two. Maybe there trying to show a little bit of everything. Everyone including 12 year olds know that the pro has office, but everyone doesn't know how fast it is, that it comes with a pen and that it is for business and fun.
  • Was this a commercial for a dance class?
     
  • I kinda love this commercial, maybe even more than the RT one, I miss those dancing school girls though...  I got my Surface Pro on Saturday at the Scottsdale MS store.  I got a reservation card and there were probably about 20 others in the "reservation card line"  I couldn't believe it though,  that there were like a 100 people waiting in line that didn't have a card.  I was like, did these people get confused and think there was a new iPad?  It was pretty awesome to say the least.  Everyone I've showed it to so far is pretty impressed.  Maybe this thing will catch on.
  • The lady near the end with the two white pieces...is that two keyboards or a white keyboard and a white surface pro tablet.  Cant figure that out.