Macrofirm
BCA presents
The Message behind Macrofirm
Macrofirm uses workplace comedy to shine a light on browser tactics that many Windows PC users encounter every day – Persistent prompts. Repeated recommendations. Settings that are changed without permission.
In an office, we’d recognize these behaviors as distracting, intrusive or controlling. Yet when they happen on our computers, they’ve become surprisingly easy to accept.
By bringing these tactics into an everyday workplace, Macrofirm makes a complex browser competition issue easier to recognize—and asks an important question:
Why are we expected to accept these behaviors as part of our PC experience?
Episode 1
Pete’s First Day
Pete’s first day at Macrofirm introduces him to three unforgettable coworkers: The Pop-Up, who constantly interrupts him with unwanted advice; The Hoverer, who questions every decision over his shoulder; and The Overrider, who quietly changes his work without asking. Together, they transform an ordinary workday into a frustrating reminder of how persistent browser tactics can undermine user choice.
Character Spotlights
Meet the personalities behind the tactics.
Explore a series of short videos introducing the Hoverer, the Overrider and the Pop Up
and discover the browser behaviors that inspired each character.
The Pop Up
Always appearing at the worst possible moment, The Pop-Up has an opinion about everything. Whether Pete asks for it or not, there’s always another interruption, another recommendation and another reason to stop what he’s doing.
Represents: Persistent prompts and recommendations.
The Hoverer
Standing just a little too close, The Hoverer constantly questions Pete’s decisions and suggests there might be a “better” way. Helpful at first, overwhelming before long.
Represents: Persistent recommendations that encourage users to reconsider choices they’ve already made.
The Overrider
The Overrider doesn’t just offer advice—he takes control. He rewrites, changes and replaces Pete’s decisions in the name of helping, leaving Pete wondering whose work it really is.
Represents: Tactics that override or replace a user’s chosen browser or settings.
Episode 2
The Deadline
As Pete races to finish an important report, The Pop-Up won’t stop interrupting with “helpful” suggestions that derail his focus. What begins as assistance quickly becomes constant distraction—showing how repeated prompts can influence decisions long after a user has already made a choice.
Episode 3
The Printer
A simple trip to the printer becomes increasingly uncomfortable as The Hoverer follows Pete every step of the way, offering unsolicited guidance and second-guessing every action. The episode highlights how persistent recommendations can make even straightforward tasks feel intrusive.
Episode 4
The Report
Pete is finally ready to submit his report—until The Overrider steps in. One small edit becomes another, then another, until Pete’s work no longer resembles what he originally created. The episode illustrates how repeatedly overriding a user’s decisions can gradually replace their choice with someone else’s.
Learn More
Browser choice should be just that:
A Choice
Explore the Browser Choice Alliance’s work
to promote meaningful browser competition and consumer choice.