How Microsoft Copilot’s subtle rebrand can help it market itself better

Microsoft is rebranding its primary AI platform for enterprise customers, from Microsoft Copilot to Microsoft 365 Copilot, the company confirmed to Ad Age. The name change, while slight, reflects how AI providers continue to adjust the marketing strategies behind their technology to gain the upper hand in a hot market. But these companies are also well aware that the constant flow of updates and rollouts in the AI space may be confusing. Microsoft, as well as rivals such as Google, have a laundry list of AI products to promote. The purpose for Microsoft’s rebrand was to provide clarity for customers by simplifying its offerings, a Microsoft spokesperson told Ad Age. Formerly, Copilot was isolated from Microsoft’s 365 umbrella, which houses its core productivity tools including Teams, Outlook and other enterprise products. Copilot could be used within these apps, for example, to summarize data or generate text, but the integrations were branded as two distinct systems coming together, such as “Copilot in Word” and “Copilot in Sales.” Now, these use cases will be referred to in a way that reflects Copilot’s presence within the same ecosystem of apps it is assisting: “Microsoft 365 Copilot for Word” and “Microsoft 365 Copilot for Sales.” No agency was involved in the change. The rebrand sees Microsoft emphasizing Copilot’s maturity as a way to market the platform to enterprise audiences, said Joe Hewitt, strategy director at branding agency DesignStudio. By tethering Copilot to its established 365 product, Microsoft is trying to distance the platform from the negativity in the AI space and focusing it on the technology’s actual utility. “Each of these tech companies are on a trajectory of de-risking AI and integrating clear use cases for enterprises,” said Hewitt. Microsoft isn’t changing the branding of Copilot’s consumer-facing chatbot, at least for now, the company confirmed. At any rate, it may struggle to clarify the confusion caused by similarly named technology in its enterprise ecosystem. For example, Microsoft already introduced a version of its AI dubbed “Microsoft 365 Copilot” back in March 2023, which integrates Copilot into the 365 suite. Microsoft declined to clarify any details about this version, such as how it differs from the new rebrand and whether it has remained available since its launch. One aspect of its rollout included a Business Chat feature, which was later renamed to Bing Chat Enterprise, according to CIO Dive, before being renamed once again to Copilot. But Business Chat now appears to be back as a part of the most recent Copilot enterprise rebrand. Microsoft also declined to provide any clarification about this detail. This fragmented mess, which is shared by other AI providers, makes it difficult for companies such as Microsoft to coherently market its ecosystem, said Jake Hancock, senior partner of brand strategy at creative consultancy Lippincott. Consolidating products with straightforward messaging is key to encouraging adoption, Hancock said. Microsoft is not the only company attempting to simplify its raft of products. Earlier this year, Google changed the name of its core AI model from Bard to Gemini, and in doing so, consolidated a pre-existing Gemini model, as well as an enterprise-focused service called Duet AI (now dubbed “Gemini for Google Workspace”). Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs Focusing on trustworthiness and utility Another takeaway from Copilot’s rebrand is that Microsoft is shifting its marketing focus from the platform’s underlying AI technology to its trustworthiness and utility. This signifies a maturation as the buzz of AI gives way to a need to explain its usefulness, Hewitt said. Copilot’s new enterprise name emphasizes the 365 ecosystem as its core use case, while the AI itself is repositioned as a support character within those products, Hewitt said. Associating Copilot more closely with 365 may also help to distance it from the innumerable issues that AI has shown in the consumer-facing space. To this end, enterprise customers may be particularly receptive to a marketing appeal to how the technology has matured, Hewitt said. Moreover, 365 is an esteemed brand in the enterprise world, which means that it can afford Copilot even more credibility as business clients decide which AI tools to use, Hancock said. Microsoft may already be benefiting from a marketing advantage over rivals thanks to Copilot’s practical name. “Copilot” is descriptive of the AI’s purpose, Hancock said, whereas Google’s “Gemini,” Anthropic’s “Claude” and Apple’s “Siri” communicate very little about what those systems can actually do. As the enterprise AI space continues to swell in size and complexity, providers like Microsoft may continue to entice customers by rebranding their platforms to reflect utility, consolidating them into cohesive AI ecosystems and associating them with established business products. “Trust rests in known brand entities,” Hancock said.

How Microsoft Copilot’s subtle rebrand can help it market itself better

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