Microsoft 365 Advertising Subscriptions to Office 2021 Customers

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Microsoft is advertising this deal as a “LIMITED OFFER” that will allow users to “Get 3 months of Microsoft 365 Family for only $0.99“. This ad runs where the “enable content” banner typically displays, meaning you’ll need to exit out of the intrusive ad every time it runs.

It’s not the first time Microsoft has attempted to push its more expensive services onto consumers. In March, Microsoft was launching ads in its File Explorer app. This kind of advertising goes against the grain of ad enrichment other companies engage in now.

Microsoft is very pushy with ads for its browser (Microsoft Edge), shoving ads in the faces of consumers whenever they attempt to search for another browser. For a while Chromium-based, Microsoft Edge ads would load in the Windows 10 Start menu.

Difference Between Microsoft 365 and Office 2021

The primary difference between the two services is that Office 2021 is a single payment license. For the user, this means they’ll be paying a single flat fee and have the right to use that software without renewal.  Office 2021 costs $249.99 a single time.

Microsoft 365 costs $99.00 per year for a subscription. Of course, bells and whistles are included in the subscription, but if you were simply looking for the programs included in Office and none of the extras, paying the cost one time is what you want.

What you don’t want is to be chained to a yearly subscription. But unfortunately, the subscription is where the money is for Microsoft. Following the subscription dollars will have Microsoft continuing to push their ads onto consumers at the worst possible time and in the worst way.

Adding the new deal button to the top of Office 2021 as if it’s part of the program itself has been viewed as borderline deceitful by the company, as well as aggravating.

Can The Ads Be Stopped?

Some Office 2021 users would understandably like the ads to go away. Unfortunately, Microsoft is aggressively persistent with its ad campaigns, so you may try updating some of your security features or attempting to block pop-ups. But unfortunately, it may be impossible to stop them from importing the ads into your experience entirely. 

Microsoft has been importing cleverly designed ads into their software, Office 2021, in an attempt to lure users away from it and to their subscription-based service Microsoft 365. Their marketing techniques are working, even if they don’t appeal broadly. 

In April of 2021, it was reported that Microsoft 365 had over 50 million subscribers. That’s a significant chunk of the marketplace, and moving forward, it’s likely that they’re going to be able to add even more to those numbers. The ads are effective, if not beloved.

Source: Microsoft