When the passive becomes active

Microsoft was launching Microsoft Edge, a browser built from the ground up – And shedding their unloved legacy browser. The technology was different – faster, more integrated, designed to help people work rather than just consume. The positioning needed to match that shift.

People’s relationship with technology was changing. They wanted to do things their own way. Quick and seamless. They were the hero. They wanted tech as their ally.

The challenge: browsers had become neutral gateways to the internet. Default choices. How do you reposition a browser as something more. A tool for doing, not just viewing?

The strategic insight – championing productivity

The insight captured the shift:

1. FROM: Neutral gateway to the internet. Keeping up with the rest. Default choice. Own label image – the ‘house browser’.
2. VIA: People want to get things done. Be active, not passive users. Feel in control. Do what they need to do, their way.
3. TO: Championing the very Microsoft theme of ‘Productivity’. Leading from the front. Be an active choice. A game-changer. A tool for doing.

Edge aimed to be not just another browser. To offer control and clarity. Smart tools to do what people needed to do. Cortana assistant built in, live annotations on the page, ad-busting technology. It wanted to create s dialogue between web and user

Creating the verbal identity

Working within Microsoft's  voice coordinates, I developed the specific verbal identity for Edge.

The voice – a friend who you trust, who sees the best in you and challenges you to achieve it. They keep to the point. Their language is positive and energetic and inspires you to go out there and do what you need to do. Less is more. Words are a means to getting things done.

I devised a new tagline line to make it clear: The browser designed with do in mind.

Making it real

A manifesto celebrated the audience:

The positioning : For people of action who want to get things done, Microsoft Edge takes you beyond browsing the web into engaging actively with it. You'll find it makes the web work the way you do. It gives you the edge.

Why it works

The verbal identity doesn't sound like typical tech marketing. It sounds like the people using Edge – direct, active, purposeful. The manifesto celebrates doers without being exclusive. And the positioning shifts perception from passive gateway to active tool.

Most importantly, it gave Microsoft teams clear language to maintain Edge's distinct voice while staying within Microsoft's broader verbal framework.

• ‍The challenge: Create verbal identity for a new browser repositioning browsing as active doing‍
• The insight: People want control – to be active users who get things done their way‍
• The expression: The browser designed with do in mind