Look Who it Was Random video

Excel - Summing for Ad Agencies - Episode 1823a

2,745 views · Published 6 November 2013 · 6:40 · Indexed 20 September 2026

Channel: MrExcel.com · 2013 · Education

Watch on YouTube

Microsoft Excel Tutorial: Avoiding Errors in Formulas and Chart Types | MrExcel Netcast.

Welcome back to the MrExcel netcast, where we bring you the latest tips and tricks for mastering Excel. In this episode, we'll be discussing a recent blog post by David Yanofsky, where he noticed a glaring error in an ad for Microsoft's Surface laptop. The ad agency had made a simple mistake in their spreadsheet, and it got us thinking about the importance of using the correct formulas in Excel.

The ad agency had used the formula =B1+B2+B3+B4+B5 to calculate their total, which gave them the correct answer initially. However, as they added more data to their spreadsheet, the formula did not adjust accordingly, resulting in an incorrect total. This is a common mistake that can easily be avoided by using the =SUM formula, which automatically adjusts to include any new data added to the spreadsheet.

But that's not the only mistake the ad agency made. They also used a pie chart to display their data, which is not the most effective way to visualize this type of information. In fact, if they had used the Recommended Charts feature in Excel, it would have suggested a clustered bar chart instead. This just goes to show the importance of understanding the different chart types and choosing the most appropriate one for your data.

To make matters worse, the ad agency also used a white outline and adjusted the weight to create the large gaps between the slices in the pie chart. This is a tedious and unnecessary step, as there are other ways to achieve the same effect. It's clear that the ad agency lacked a basic understanding of Excel, which is surprising considering they were creating an ad for Microsoft's own product.

It's unfortunate that this mistake made it into a major ad campaign, but it serves as a reminder of the importance of using the correct formulas and chart types in Excel. We hope this episode has been informative and has helped you avoid making similar mistakes in your own spreadsheets. Don't forget to check out the blog post by David Yanofsky for more details on this error. Thanks for watching and we'll see you next time on the MrExcel netcast.

Buy Bill Jelen's latest Excel book: https://www.mrexcel.com/products/latest/

You can help my channel by clicking Like or commenting below: https://www.mrexcel.com/like-mrexcel-on-youtube/


Table of Contents:
(00:00) Introduction to MrExcel Podcast Episode 1823A
(00:14) Blog post by David Yanofsky on qz.com
(00:28) Ad agency's mistake in Microsoft ad
(01:04) Possible reasons for the error
(02:22) How the ad agency could have avoided the mistake
(03:41) Discrepancies in the chart used in the ad
(06:07) Clicking Like really helps the algorithm

#excel #microsoft #microsoftexcel #exceltutorial #exceltips #exceltricks #excelmvp #freeclass #freecourse #freeclasses #excelclasses #microsoftmvp #walkthrough #evergreen #spreadsheetskills #analytics #analysis #dataanalysis #dataanalytics #mrexcel #spreadsheets #spreadsheet #excelhelp #accounting #tutorial

Join the MrExcel Message Board discussion about this video at https://www.mrexcel.com/board/threads/1153645/



Good news: The new Surface ads feature Excel. Bad news: there is a spreadsheet error in the ad. Read the original blog post from David Yanofsky here: http://qz.com/143541/microsoft-botched-the-excel-spreadsheet-in-its-surface-tablet-ad/
This episode of the podcast looks at how the spreadsheet could be totaling incorrectly and teaches you why you should not use =B1+B2+B3+B4+B5. Also - how did they get the gaps in the pie chart?

More from this channel