Microsoft is recruiting major social media influencers to promote its Copilot AI assistant as it seeks to challenge OpenAI’s ChatGPT in the consumer market. Recent data reveals the size of the gap Microsoft aims to close: Copilot currently attracts 150 million monthly active users, while ChatGPT boasts 800 million weekly active users. Google’s Gemini also outpaces Microsoft with 650 million monthly users.

According to a Los Angeles Times report, the company’s latest marketing strategy targets younger consumers through partnerships with high-profile content creators.

The campaign features social media personality Alix Earle, who commands 12.6 million followers across Instagram and TikTok. In one promotional video that garnered 15.4 million views, Earle asks Copilot for advice on appearing younger, captioning the post “Copilot is my mentor & therapist” and using the hashtag #copilotpartner.

“We’re a challenger brand in this area, and we’re kind of up and coming,” Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s Consumer Chief Marketing Officer, said in a statement, declining to disclose payment details for the influencer partnerships.

Twin fashion and beauty creators Brigette and Danielle Pheloung, with a combined 3.4 million followers, represent another key partnership in Microsoft’s strategy. Their recent content features Copilot generating ‘70s and ‘80s-themed outfit suggestions for New York Fashion Week, demonstrating the AI’s creative applications.

Repositioning Copilot Beyond the Workplace

Microsoft’s influencer marketing approach attempts to reframe Copilot, traditionally associated with workplace productivity, as a lifestyle assistant for everyday consumers, according to the LA Times report. 

Content creator Brandon Edelman (known as Bran Flakezz), with 1.7 million followers across platforms, demonstrates this positioning by asking Copilot about dating, travel planning, and personal finance in professionally produced videos.

“The whole idea about Copilot is really about empowering you to be the best you,” Mehdi said of the campaign’s central message.

Campaign Performance and Assessment

Microsoft reports the influencer videos have generated hundreds of millions of views across platforms. The company claims the strategy is delivering a higher return on investment than traditional media channels, though it has not provided specific metrics to verify these results.

Anindya Ghose, marketing professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business, expressed surprise at Microsoft’s choice of lifestyle influencers for AI marketing, but acknowledges the potential effectiveness of leveraging their established audiences.

“Even if the perceived credibility of the influencer is not very high, but the familiarity with the influencers is high, there are some people who would be willing to bite on that apple,” Ghose stated.

On the other hand, Gartner analyst Jason Wong remains skeptical about Microsoft’s ability to overtake OpenAI in consumer AI adoption despite the high-profile campaign, saying it would be “hard-pressed for them to surpass the consumer ChatGPT at this point.”

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