As a researcher, I’ve noticed something interesting – Microsoft’s latest ad promoting PC gaming features Google Chrome prominently pinned to the taskbar. This is a bit unusual, and it seems like a message might need to go out to the advertising team to address this unexpected product placement.
It’s understandable that many Windows 11 users also use Google Chrome, but it’s surprising to see Microsoft actually promote that in an ad. Microsoft usually focuses on pushing its own browser, Microsoft Edge, and is doing so even more now that Edge is a key part of their artificial intelligence efforts.
The advertisement is a short Christmas commercial showcasing a range of popular games being played on different laptops. All of these laptops feature Windows 11, which Microsoft promotes as “The Home of Gaming.”
Windows Latest spotted the ad. Chrome appears early on within the video.
Windows is the dominant platform for PC gaming. Currently, nearly 95
Steam has been updated to run on 64-bit systems for both Windows 11 and Windows 10. Although SteamOS has been gaining popularity, Steam remains primarily a platform for PC gaming.
While some gamers use Macs, macOS isn’t a major competitor to Windows when it comes to gaming.
Although Windows is still the most popular choice for gamers, many people are now considering options other than Windows 11. This is partly because when support for Windows 10 ended, a lot of computers couldn’t upgrade to Windows 11 due to its hardware requirements.
These days, about 90
Although only a small percentage of Steam players—around 3
I worked in product marketing, where I often featured products in promotional materials like photos and videos. A common practice is to make sure your computer or phone screen displays only what you want people to see. For instance, if you were promoting Microsoft Teams in a video, you wouldn’t want to show Slack open on your screen.
The advertisement seems to highlight Microsoft’s own apps. Instead of showing other options, the taskbar features Copilot, the Microsoft Store, Xbox, and the Snipping Tool. Microsoft Edge is also visible in the ad.
Those polished videos promoting software aren’t always realistic. It’s common practice to tidy up your screen – like removing app icons – before taking a screenshot for marketing. If you look closely, you’ll notice that promotional images often show perfectly organized computers that don’t reflect how people actually use them. And for a little entertainment, take a peek at the bookmarks displayed in ads for browsers or online tools – they’re usually very neat and curated!
Just because someone works at Microsoft doesn’t mean they automatically use Microsoft products. For example, many Microsoft employees didn’t even use Windows Phone when it was available. There was even surprise when game director Daniel Vávra chose to use Windows Phone on his own accord.
When creating advertisements for any company, whether you work directly for them or are an outside agency, you’d naturally promote that company’s brand. Microsoft, for example, is actively trying to get people to switch from Chrome to its Edge browser. So, showing Chrome prominently in an ad for Microsoft seems counterproductive to those efforts.
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2026-01-06 01:40