Microsoft hires social-media stars to challenge ChatGPT's consumer dominance

"Microsoft Corp., eager to boost downloads of its Copilot chatbot, has recruited some of the most popular influencers in America to push a message to young consumers that might be summed up as: Our AI assistant is as cool as ChatGPT. Microsoft could use the help. The company recently said its family of Copilot assistants attracts 150 million active users each month. But OpenAI's ChatGPT claims 800 million weekly active users, and Google's Gemini boasts 650 million a month."

""We're a challenger brand in this area, and we're kind of up and coming," Consumer Chief Marketing Officer Yusuf Mehdi said in an interview. Mehdi hopes to persuade key influencers to make Copilot their chatbot of choice and then use their popularity to market the assistant to their millions of followers. He says Microsoft is already getting more bang for the buck with influencers than with traditional media, but didn't provide any metrics."

"Mehdi and the influencers mentioned in this story also declined to say how much they are being paid to promote Copilot. Influencer videos have generated hundreds of millions of views and Microsoft says the strategy is working, but analysts express doubt. Plenty of corporations have yoked their fortunes to influencers in recent years. Back in 2020, Dunkin' Brands Group Inc. partnered with well-known figure Charli D'Amelio to launch a custom drink called "The Charli," which she marketed to her millions of foll"

Microsoft is using prominent influencers to promote its Copilot chatbot to younger consumers in an effort to increase downloads and usage. Copilot reports about 150 million monthly active users, while ChatGPT claims 800 million weekly users and Google's Gemini reports 650 million monthly users. Microsoft retains an advantage in corporate customers but faces challenges reaching consumers under 30. Yusuf Mehdi describes Microsoft as a challenger brand aiming to leverage influencer popularity. Microsoft says influencer promotions deliver strong results but did not provide metrics, and analysts remain skeptical of the long-term impact.

Read at Los Angeles Times