Microsoft launches new Windows 8 commercials

By Rich Edmonds
last updated

We're entering into 2013 and Microsoft has already displayed signs of the company continuing to push on with its marketing campaign for its Windows family of products - namely Windows 8. A batch of new commercials have been released on its YouTube channel, with the first featuring the track "Everything at Once" by Australian singer Lenka. 

Showing off apps such as Maps and Mail on Windows 8, the advertisement isn't one to walk viewers through each and every nook and cranny of the operating system, but provide an up-beat presentation of the type of ecosystem Microsoft is attempting to create. No longer are we placing "Microsoft" or "Windows" in the un-cool category with spreadsheets and documents (though it remains the best desktop OS for such productivity).

Much like the Surface RT tablet advertisement that saw an array of dancers perform to a track showing how durable and light the Surface hardware is, Microsoft is attempting to rebuild its brand awareness on new innovations and hardware that it'll pump out - Windows Phone being one of such innovations.

A second commercial, Free To Be Me, shows a user toying with Microsoft's Fresh Paint app. As well as the official app being utilised in the video, viewers are also shown two Windows 8 convertible PCs - the Lenovo Yoga 13 and the ASUS VivoTab. There are a number of other partners who are producing some top-notch hardware, including Acer and Dell, but it's good to see Microsoft still giving OEMs the stage for their products to receive attention.

Last, but by no means least is another Windows 8 advertisement, but this time sporting an Acer notebook. An office worker uses Windows 8 to receive Pandeiro instrument lessons and book a trip to Rio to get away from the deadly cubicles. We're still waiting for a Steve Ballmer "Developers! Developers! Developers!" exercise video to be made available on Xbox Video.

Source: YouTube (1) (2) (3), via: Neowin

Rich Edmonds
Rich Edmonds
Senior Editor, PC Build

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.

39 Comments
  • I've been seeing that first ad on TV a lot, it's actually a bit annoying sometimes. Better than most ads by Microsoft though
  • Better than nothing!
  • Yes, true. I suspect I'm not the target for that ad anyways
  • Yes, those first two ads had been shown a lot here in the Philippines for about two months already. Havn't seen the third one yet over here.
  • The Lenka Spot is in Germany since october!
  • the lenka spot is really annoying. It was the first ad for Windows 8 in germany and is still around. Its not new.
  • I don't find the Lenka spot annoying at all. Glad to see Microsoft keeping up with ads for Windows 8.
  • I don't find the Lenka spot annoying either. In fact it sticks in the mind so as an ad, it's successful.
  • Its funny how a unique ad is annoying but apple so called perfect "simple" ads are amazing to people I usually gag whenever there on cause of how they are so misleading just wait when iPhone 6 is out with NFC they will swear its never been done be4 by saying it does it in some special way just remember our phones and some Android phones could take a picture of 20 kids way before iphone5
  • ^THIS!!!! People annoy me when they do that crap!
  • Guys, not that I want to spam or anything, but I created an ad for Windows 8 as a home project, it was purely for fun and was not sold or paid for, a couple of actors helped me over as well to make it happen. Everything you see from footage to motion graphics were genuine and done by me using AE and Premiere. I ended up with this: https://www.windowscentral.com/e?link=https2F2Fcli... What struck me later is that after two weeks from me uploading this video Microsoft posts this ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYTK2FOjN44 Now I know that my homemade video isn't as good but it really is striking the similarity in music choice and graphics. It is very highly just pure chance, but, what a coincidence! Just wanted to put this out and wish you a happy new year. :)
  • LOL I liked your ad, Saad!
  • Me too, Saad! Good job!
  • Pretty Good!
  • They used the same song?
  • Yep.
  • The lenka ad has been around forever and I don't think I have seen an ad have such an impact.. Everyone from my family has the song on their tips..and everyone knows it as a windows 8 song..
    My grandparents who don't even know English, hum the song..
  • I cant wait until lumia 820 comes to the netherlands!
  • i liked the first and last ad a lot
  • Kind of bizarre but could be catchy to some, highly annoying to others.
  • The Indian version of the Windows 8 ad has been on air for some time now too : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LE0HUqJQNQ
  • Love this one, even though not really for my demographic. (Most of the ads that are for my demographic so far don't do much for me. Seriously, how many ads that primarily feature picture password do we really need?) Thanks for the link to the long version. I haven't seen it before.
  • Whenever you introduce two or more videos in your articles, you always give a link to just one of them, in the mobile version at least. Why? It's a bit annoying.
  • I just hit open in browser and view from there. L920 here and it works great.
  • Ok, didn't think of that, thanks. Works fine. But still: why not provide access to all the videos using More / Video in the app?
  • I didn't like the first advert just found it a bit annoying but it better than other 
    I prefered the surface advert action, excitement, enthuirasm etc. 
  • This commercial is old
  • Has anyone else noticed the picture of the guy sticking two fingers up in this advert? Is that on the tv advert too?
  • Great job Saad!
  • Already upgraded to w8.
    Totally confusing the first couple of days, but now I just love how my yellow 920 connects and syncs by just plugging in... :)
  • Its been running in India since December last year. Its pretty old commercial.
  • It's not new! Been seeing this commercial since last november here in the Philippines. ^_~
  • Everything at once is not new..have been showing in Singapore since windows 8 released
  • I see more windows 8 advertisements than surface advertisements.
  • The Lenka Advert has been in the UK since Windows 8s lauch and i like that advert as its catchy
  • That add has been showing in Canada for the past 2 months.
  • nice
  • I've been seeing this add for the last couple of months in India.
  • Lenka's might be annoying to some but it's catchy. Heck whenever I hear the song I remember Windows 8 first before Lenka. iPhone's ad makes me vomit a little in my mouth. Plain boring and just doesn't show anything new. iPhone's waaay behind now. Everything it does, droids and wp8s does much better.