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Does Microsoft’s first ad following the Nokia deal make you want to buy a Windows Phone?

Published Apr 28th, 2014 7:40AM EDT
Microsoft Windows Phone Ad

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Nokia’s handset business is officially no more, having been absorbed this past Friday by Microsoft as part of a $7.2 billion deal. Nokia’s phones will live on, however, and the burden of selling them will now fall squarely on Microsoft’s shoulders. Nokia had been the only smartphone vendor to really make any progress with Windows Phone, and most of it was with low-end devices in emerging markets. Even with Nokia’s newfound success in recent quarters, however, Windows Phone’s global market share still sits in the low single digits more than three years after the platform first launched.

Of course, this is no longer Nokia’s problem.

Microsoft is now on its own in its efforts to sell Nokia-built smartphones, and it recently released its first advertisement since closing the Nokia deal. The spot is called “Not Like Everybody Else,” and it continues to play on a common theme among underdogs: Use our product if you want to be different and separate yourself from the crowd.

This approach worked remarkably well for Samsung, which built a foundation for its current success in the smartphone industry by positioning iPhone users as mindless hipster sheep. Will lightning strike twice even though Microsoft has not one but two giants it will have to battle if it hopes to make progress in today’s smartphone market?

You be the judge — Microsoft’s new ad is embedded below.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.