CASE 125 / Microsoft / 2016
Make What’s Next: 2016 launch
A question about who gets remembered as an inventor opened a practical invitation for girls to become creators.
AI-assisted research and analysis for the SNS Creative Fieldbook; published by SNS Media Tech. No named human reviewer is claimed.
Sources reviewed 2026-11-05
Campaign credits belong to the original creators. They did not write or endorse this analysis.
Credits: Microsoft, with YouthSpark, DigiGirlz and nonprofit partners described in its launch materials. No agency credit inferred.
Recognition: No award claimed in this brief.
Launch / edition: 2016. Award years: No award claim.
The problem. The idea. The experience.
Microsoft’s 2016 announcement addressed women’s underrepresentation in technology, pointing to awareness, stereotypes and access to resources. The creative challenge was to connect an inspirational message with practical support, rather than merely celebrate invention or promote devices.
How the idea came to life
The launch invited audiences to consider which inventors they could name and how many were women, using a film with girls asked the same question. Microsoft paired the message with maker stories, computer-science resources, a DigiGirlz event curriculum and a programme supporting selected female inventors with patents.
How it reached people
The campaign was active around International Women’s Day in March 2016. Microsoft described events at offices, stores and nonprofit community centres, plus an online resource portal. Its New York account confirms the launch film was also used to introduce a hands-on DigiGirlz day in April.
Supporting sources: Primary brand launch announcement → Primary brand progress report → Primary brand event report →
Read the data in context.
The numbers below describe different kinds of outcomes. Their date, scope and reporting source are part of the result.
- Reporting period
- 2016 campaign activity reported by 24 June 2016
- Scope
- 56 events across 27 countries in Microsoft’s progress report; not confirmed unique long-term learners or career changes
- Evidence
- Microsoft EU Policy progress article
By 24 June 2016, Microsoft reported 56 events across 27 countries for more than 8,600 young women. These are programme participation claims, not evidence of sustained STEM enrolment or career outcomes. This brief covers the original 2016 edition, not the expanded 2017 work.
The creative mechanism.
A recognisable gap in cultural memory leads into role models, accessible resources and real opportunities
Expose a gap without claiming to measure everyone
A simple question can make an issue visible, but a filmed group is not a representative survey. Keep the creative device separate from population-level evidence. If a campaign needs a statistical claim, use a clearly described study rather than treating selected on-camera answers as proof of universal belief.
Make the desired identity imaginable
Showing people as inventors and makers offers a more active role than asking them to admire technology. Use specific examples of what someone can create and why it matters. Avoid presenting exceptional achievement as the only valid path into a field or suggesting interest alone removes structural barriers.
Put an actual doorway behind inspiration
A workshop, curriculum or mentor can convert an uplifting moment into a feasible first action. Check accessibility, cost, location and scheduling before inviting participation. The practical route should work for people who lack equipment or supportive networks, not only those already well positioned to take advantage.
Measure continuity as well as attendance
An event count describes delivery, not lasting change. A responsible adaptation asks whether participants understood the material, felt respected and could access a next step. Longer-term follow-up should be optional, proportionate and privacy-conscious; do not collect sensitive participant details merely to make a stronger impact story.
The intended behavior loop
- 01Notice missing role models
- 02Imagine a creator identity
- 03Try a supported learning activity
- 04Choose whether to continue
Growth job: Challenge limited representation → make technical participation feel possible → provide a learning route. This is an interpretation of the mechanism, not an audited attribution model.
A direction to take into the room.
Original editorial interpretation and proposed adaptation. This is a proposed adaptation, not historical campaign execution or a forecast.
The transferable principle
Connect a concrete representation gap to a credible, accessible opportunity to learn or make something.
Keep these boundaries
Do not treat a staged question as survey evidence, overpromise career change or use young participants’ stories without appropriate consent and safeguards.
Turn the lesson into a test.
Illustrative adaptation, not a historical campaign fact
A small-team experiment
A local technology business partners with an established educator on an introductory workshop for adult women exploring a new technical skill.
Build the test
- Ask the educator to define a useful beginner outcome and remove avoidable equipment or scheduling barriers.
- Introduce several relevant role models, then devote most of the session to supported practice.
- Offer an optional next lesson and collect anonymous feedback without requiring personal stories for promotion.
Measure the right thing
Measure task completion, accessibility issues and voluntary continuation, keeping attendance separate from claims about careers.
Know when to stop
Stop if suitable teaching support is unavailable, participation depends on promotional consent or the promised next step cannot be delivered.
How this reading fits your brief
Start with the useful part.
Best for: Challenge limited representation → make technical participation feel possible → provide a learning route
What to adapt: Connect a concrete representation gap to a credible, accessible opportunity to learn or make something.
Prerequisites: Qualified education partners; Accessible facilities and materials; Safeguarding and participant consent; A funded continuation pathway.
Smaller-team route: A local technology business partners with an established educator on an introductory workshop for adult women exploring a new technical skill. Constraint: Do not treat a staged question as survey evidence, overpromise career change or use young participants’ stories without appropriate consent and safeguards.
Budget: Unknown; no verified historical campaign budget in the cited sources. No cost-fit claim is made.
Trade-offs and evidence: Read the limits below before choosing a test. There is no guaranteed reach, sales lift or ROAS.
Questions for your next brief
- Who is missing from the familiar picture of capability?
- What practical step will remain available after the film ends?
Sources & further reading.
Brand and award-entry results are attributed claims, not independent causal audits. Source links open the original third-party pages.
- Microsoft: Empowering Young Women to Make What’s Next →Primary brand launch announcement · Supports: 8 March 2016 question-led film, challenge, events, portal, curriculum and selected-inventor patent support.
- Microsoft EU Policy: Transforming education to improve student skills →Primary brand progress report · Supports: 24 June 2016 report of 56 campaign events, 27 countries and more than 8,600 young women; no longitudinal outcome measurement.
- Microsoft: DigiGirlz Make What’s Next in NYC →Primary brand event report · Supports: Launch film used at the 8 April 2016 DigiGirlz event; published 14 April 2016.
Independent educational analysis of external campaigns. These are not SNS client projects, endorsements or claims of involvement. Campaign facts and reported outcomes are attributed to their sources. Explanations, adaptations and test plans are original analysis and hypotheses, not proven causal findings.