Analysis of Microsoft Advertising "Make What’s Next"

Bill Gates

In early 2016, U. S. software company Microsoft launched an ad titled, “Make What’s Next. ” The ad shows female children being asked if they could name any inventors. While every child was able to answer this question with at least one or more inventors, it was pointed out that every single inventor listed was a male. When asked if they knew a female inventor, not a single female name came to mind of the children. The ad then shows the names of numerous women who were responsible for some of the biggest advancements in our society. The children suddenly realized they were unaware of so many female inventors and it’s stated from a child in the ad that, “you never hear a girl in conversation” when it comes to inventors that are talked about. The purpose of this ad was to begin a campaign to recognize the many neglected female inventors and remind the world that there are many more people to thank for than our most known inventors such as Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison. This ad wants to show you that any individual can come up with the next big thing, that anyone can make a change in the world, and that most importantly, the intelligence of one is not limited to gender.

This ad has a significant potential for raising awareness of women’s rights and the stereotype claiming that women are not as capable of doing and achieving the same level of work as men. For many years, women have been looked down upon as inferior when compared to men. The workload and wages given to women would be less solely because of their gender, believing the brains down to their physical strength were not as much of a contribution to that of a man. According to the U. S. Census Bureau as of 2018, “Today, on average, a woman earns 80. 5 cents for every dollar a man earns, and a women’s median annual earnings are $10, 086 less than men’s. ” The idea that women are not as important as men, just like how their lower wages are justifiable because of their gender is an ignorant point of view and discrimination. This is what the ad appears to want to put an end to. While it may not be as common as it once was, there are still women who get treated as less than equal and many reports of just how bad this is. This ad will allow many to remember that there are many great female minds that we must thank for the luxuries and opportunities we have today, and who deserve the same benefits as anyone else.

This ad primarily targets young females and females in general; however, the ad can even reach further out to every individual in that we should all be aware of who our inventors are and that we all can have the intelligence to do something great, that no one should discriminate based on appearances or gender. This ad is a great motivator in that it shows all the great inventions women have come up with and how there is no limit to what anyone can do. It is the perfect reminder to never be discouraged to strive for greatness, no matter how difficult you may be told it’s going to be because of who you are.

Personally, the ad in the short run does not seem to clearly focus on the brand. Its primary message is to let women know that they can make a difference in the world, regardless of any odds; however, Microsoft does show a clear interest in that women can be of great value to their company and are working toward providing the means for women to stay on track as they work their way toward succeeding in their STEM goals. Corporate VP of Global Advertising at Microsoft, Kathleen Hall, states, “We want girls to know that there are women out there that have made amazing things in whose foot-steps they can follow. ” In the long run, Microsoft hopes to have more women contribute to making their company even more successful with having more brilliant minds joining their technological advances. This ad did a great job in showing how we do not think about those who have achieved so many great things. It shows how we have not given the proper recognition to many female inventors who have helped in making our society successful, and how we must not discriminate and neglect those who could very well have the idea to creating something beneficial to our world. The ad opens the eyes of many who were unaware and motivates them to have role models that they can look up to for inspiration as they work to achieve their dreams of making the next big change.

In the end, the more intelligent minds we have working to contribute to our society, the better off our society will be in the long run.