Microsoft's new anime ad is the latest creative response to one of the biggest marketing challenges in tech: rebranding Internet Explorer.
The browser, often the butt of jokes among would-be technorati despite its overwhelming global popularity, is presented as a bulwark against all kinds of Internet bad guys. You don't need a degree in English Lit to grasp the symbolism here as the young heroine grabs a shield with a monogrammed "I" and is transformed into a warrior. The protagonist is, in fact, Inori Aizawa, the "official mascot of the Internet Explorer," according to her Facebook Page.
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Aizawa is the latest attempt to reintroduce IE to the masses, following "Child of the 90s," one of the top viral ads of this year so far. That ad appears to have helped IE hold on to 57.8% of worldwide market share, according to The Next Web.
This isn't the first time Microsoft has presented itself as a consumer advocate. Once sued by the Department of Justice over monopolistic behavior, the company has in recent years presented itself as a less evil alternative to Google via its "Scroogled" campaign.