Microsoft took a different approach this time with its year-end roundup for Bing. Instead of simply copying Google's Zeitgeist with its own year in review, it focused instead on the inspiring (and presumably well-searched) women of 2013.
Set to the lady-power ballad (and intended gay-rights anthem) "Brave" by Sara Bareilles, the video parallaxes its way through some of the inspiring women who did great things in 2013. It includes Margaret Thatcher, whose main contribution to 2013 was dying. But in general, it's a feel-good mélange designed for maximum inspirational shareability. It's also designed not to offend by only vaguely referencing ladies on the front lines (where they've been for a while, btw) and leaving out the word "marriage" before the word "equality."
It already has a couple hundred bitter comments on YouTube about how Microsoft didn't out a video celebrating the heroic men of 2013—posted by people who haven't yet figured that's every other year-end roundup out there.
Microsoft's right. We're gonna need some bravery for the year ahead.