Microsoft spotlighted Copilot in an aptly football-themed ad during Super Bowl 60, demonstrating how NFL insiders can use the generative AI chatbot to develop charts based on historical stats.
Watching a linebacker sprint 40 yards at lightning speed, two recruiters on the sideline pull up the Copilot tab within Microsoft Excel and prompt the tool to “chart top linebacker prospects with 40-yard times under 4.6” [seconds]. Viewers watch as the chatbot instantly responds, producing key stats and bar charts to map the data.
Then, they go a level deeper, asking Copilot to select further for the three with top leadership skills—and then to project which one of those would have more than 100 tackles. In the end, the recruiters are left with one pick, who immediately proves his abilities by tackling an innocent bypasser on the field. “That’s the guy,” the recruiters say.
The 30-second spot closes out with a nod to the tech giant’s longstanding partnership with the NFL, flashing the league’s logo alongside a logo for Microsoft 365 Copilot. Microsoft first became an official NFL sponsor in 2013.
Microsoft declined to specify whether the ad was made in-house or in collaboration with an agency, and noted only that the spot was not created as a standalone spot for the Super Bowl
“There isn’t a net new Super Bowl ad,” a company spokesperson told ADWEEK. “This is an extension of an existing campaign.”
Even so, the ad represents a timely push for new Copilot subscribers. While Microsoft 365 boasts 450 million paid seats, just 15 million, or around 3.3%, pay for Copilot, the company reported during an earnings call last month.
A tech stock sell-off last week also added pressure to Microsoft and other publicly traded software companies.
