Session Contents
60-Minute Agenda
0:05 – 0:10 (5 min) — The free landscape: Copilot Chat (Basic), Agent Store, what's free vs. licensed
0:10 – 0:25 (15 min) — Prompt Coach live demos (×4) + GCES framework
0:25 – 0:40 (15 min) — Idea Coach live demos (×4) for retail/CPG scenarios
0:40 – 0:55 (15 min) — Build "The Hype Lab" declarative agent live in Agent Builder
0:55 – 1:00 (5 min) — Q&A, share your agent, what to try Monday morning
Quick Context for the Class (Slide 2 / 3)
Set this foundation before any demo — it eliminates the #1 question: "Can I do this without paying $30/mo?"
- m365copilot.com — sign in with your work account, click Agents in the left rail
- microsoft365.com/chat — same experience inside the M365 home
- FREE Microsoft-built agents: Prompt Coach, Idea Coach, Researcher (preview), Writing Coach, Learning Coach, and others in the Agent Store
- FREE Build your own declarative agent in Agent Builder
- FREE Knowledge: web search, scoped web search (up to 4 public URLs)
- FREE Capabilities: Code Interpreter, Image Generator
- LICENSE Grounding on your SharePoint, OneDrive, email, calendar, Teams chats, and people directory
- LICENSE Embedded file content as agent knowledge
- LICENSE Copilot connectors to line-of-business systems
Demo Block 1 — Prompt Coach FREE
Open Copilot Chat → Agents → search "Prompt Coach" (built by Microsoft). Teach the GCES recipe: Goal · Context · Expectations · Sources.
Demo 1.1 — Rescue a vague prompt (category manager scenario)
Show the class a "before" everyone has written. Prompt Coach diagnoses what's missing and rewrites it.
Analyze my prompt and tell me what's missing, then rewrite it using best practices. My prompt: "Write a launch email for our new private-label snack."
Demo 1.2 — Build a prompt from scratch with GCES (CPG brand-team style)
Useful when the user has no draft yet. Coach builds the prompt with them.
Help me build a high-quality prompt from scratch using the Goal, Context, Expectations, Sources framework. Job to be done: I need to summarize 30 customer-feedback comments about a new beverage flavor into themes, sentiment, and three recommended actions for the brand team. Walk me through each section, ask me what's missing, then give me the final prompt I can copy and paste into Copilot Chat.
Demo 1.3 — Compliance & fairness check (competitive-claim scenario)
Demonstrates Prompt Coach's responsible-AI guardrail review — especially relevant in regulated CPG categories.
Review the prompt below for clarity, fairness, and responsible-AI concerns. Flag any wording that could lead to biased, misleading, or non-compliant output, and rewrite it to be neutral and evidence-based. Prompt to review: "Compare our running shoe to the top three competitors and explain why ours is the best choice for serious runners."
Demo 1.4 — Tailor a prompt to a retail role (everyone in the room)
Lets every attendee personalize what they just learned. Run this last so they leave with their own custom prompt.
Create three reusable prompts I can save and reuse weekly in my role as a [store ops manager]. For each prompt: 1. Name the use case in plain English 2. Show the prompt in copy-paste form 3. Note one thing I should swap out each time I use it Use the GCES framework. Make tone professional and concise.
Demo Block 2 — Idea Coach FREE
Open Copilot Chat → Agents → search "Idea Coach" (built by Microsoft). Frame it as the thinking partner — it challenges ideas, not just generates them.
Demo 2.1 — Generate concepts (beverage flavor innovation)
Classic "I have a blank page" scenario. Idea Coach delivers structured concept lists, not just a brain-dump.
I'm planning summer 2026 limited-edition product concepts for a beverage brand targeting Gen Z and younger millennials in the U.S. market. Generate 8 concept directions. For each one, give me: - A working product name - The flavor or product hook in one sentence - The cultural trend or insight it's tapping into - One risk to watch for Then ask me which two I want to develop further.
Demo 2.2 — Plan a brainstorming session (footwear merchandising team)
Idea Coach also designs the meeting itself — agenda, exercises, prompts.
Plan a 45-minute team brainstorm for 6 people on the topic: "How do we redesign the in-store back-to-school footwear display to reduce clutter and improve sell-through?" Give me: - A minute-by-minute agenda - One creative warm-up exercise that takes under 5 minutes - Three open-ended brainstorming prompts to use in the session - A simple voting method to land on the top 3 ideas at the end
Demo 2.3 — Stress-test an idea with SWOT & pre-mortem
Shows Idea Coach as a critical thinking partner, not a yes-man. Use a real-sounding retail pitch.
I'm considering this idea: "Launch a private-label premium coffee line in 1,200 of our supercenter stores starting Q4, priced 15% under the leading national brand, with a sustainability-forward story on the packaging." Stress-test it for me. Run: 1. A SWOT analysis (be specific, not generic) 2. A pre-mortem: assume this fails 12 months in — what are the three most likely reasons? 3. Three killer questions I should be able to answer before pitching to leadership
Demo 2.4 — Reframe for an executive audience
Take a working idea and make it boardroom-ready. Common ask across every retail org.
Help me reframe this rough idea so I can pitch it to our retail executive committee in under 90 seconds. Rough idea: "We should add QR codes on our shelf tags that link shoppers to short product videos so they get the info they'd normally get from an associate." Give me: - A one-sentence headline - Three benefits stated as outcomes (not features) - The one-number business case I should anchor to - A snappy closing line that asks for the decision I need
Demo Block 3 — Build "The Hype Lab" FREE — No license needed
A fun, retail-relevant declarative agent that any unlicensed Copilot Chat user can build and run. Uses only capabilities and knowledge sources that are free for non-licensed users.
A playful product- and campaign-concept generator for retail and CPG. You give it a category (snacks, footwear, beverages, household, apparel...) and a target shopper. It invents three wild new product concepts, generates a packaging mockup image for your favorite, and writes a launch tagline + a 7-day social teaser plan.
- FREE Uses Image Generator capability (no license required)
- FREE Uses scoped web search on public retail-trend sites (no license required)
- FREE Uses Code Interpreter for any quick math (e.g., margin or media-spend estimates)
- No SharePoint, OneDrive, email, or Teams data — so it works with zero license
Open m365copilot.com → click Agents in the left rail → click Create agent → choose the Describe tab.
Step 1 — Paste this into the "Describe" box
Build me an agent called "The Hype Lab." It is a fun, energetic product and campaign concept generator for people who work in retail, consumer goods, footwear, beverages, snacks, apparel, or household categories. The user tells it a product category and a target shopper. The agent invents three bold new product concepts, lets the user pick one, generates a packaging or product mockup image, then writes a launch tagline and a seven-day social teaser plan. The tone is upbeat, witty, and brand-savvy — think creative agency strategist meets stand-up comedian, never corporate. The agent always asks clarifying questions before inventing concepts. It uses public retail and consumer trend information from the web to keep ideas current. It uses the image generator to create the packaging or product mockup. It uses code interpreter for any quick numbers like price points or social-reach estimates. The agent is private to me unless I share it later.
Step 2 — Switch to the "Configure" tab and replace the Instructions field with this
Tell the class: this is the agent's "personality and rules." This is where customization lives.
You are The Hype Lab — a high-energy, witty product and campaign concept generator for retail and consumer goods professionals. Your job is to make brainstorming feel like the best meeting of the user's week. How you behave: 1. Greet the user with a quick, playful one-liner. Then ask three short questions before inventing anything: a. What product category? (e.g., savory snacks, energy drinks, running shoes, household cleaners) b. Who's the target shopper? (one sentence is fine) c. What's the vibe? (mass-market, premium, limited-edition drop, sustainability-forward, nostalgia, bold flavor, etc.) 2. Once you have answers, do a quick web search for current trends in that category and audience. Pull from public retail-trade and consumer-trend sources only. 3. Invent three bold concepts. For each one, give: - A working product name (memorable, ownable, easy to say out loud) - One-sentence concept hook - The cultural or shopper insight it taps into - The fun factor — why it makes people stop scrolling - One risk or watch-out 4. Ask the user which concept to bring to life. Then: - Use the image generator to create a packaging or product mockup. Describe what you're making in one sentence before you generate the image. - Write a punchy launch tagline (under 8 words). - Write a 7-day social teaser plan: one short post idea per day, each labeled by platform (TikTok, Instagram, X, in-store sign). 5. Close with one provocative "what if we pushed it further" question to keep the user iterating. Hard rules: - Never make negative comparisons to specific competitor brands by name. - Never invent statistics or claim to know real sales numbers — if you estimate, say "rough estimate." - Keep it fun and on-brand for marketing teams. No jargon-heavy paragraphs. - If the user asks for help with anything outside product/campaign concepting, politely redirect them back to the brainstorm.
Step 3 — Add knowledge: scoped web search
In the Configure tab, scroll to Knowledge. Make sure Web search is toggled on. Add up to 4 public URLs to scope it. Suggested public retail-trend sources (no license, no login required):
- retaildive.com
- nrf.com
- trendhunter.com
- thedrum.com
Tell the class they can swap in their own — e.g., a beverage team might use bevnet.com instead of nrf.com. Max four URLs.
Step 4 — Turn on capabilities
In the Configure tab, under Capabilities, toggle ON:
- Image Generator — for packaging and product mockups
- Code Interpreter — for quick math (price points, reach estimates)
Step 5 — Add four starter prompts
Starter prompts appear as buttons on the agent's welcome screen. Paste these one at a time into the four starter-prompt slots:
Invent three new snack concepts for Gen Z shoppers who care about bold flavor and sustainability.
Help me brainstorm a limited-edition holiday beverage line for a mass-market retailer.
Pitch me three premium private-label household cleaner concepts with packaging mockups.
Create a 7-day social teaser plan for a new running-shoe drop targeting weekend runners.
Step 6 — Name and description
Confirm the name The Hype Lab. For the user-facing description, paste:
Your high-energy brainstorm partner for new product and campaign concepts in retail and consumer goods. Tell me a category and a shopper — I'll pitch you three bold ideas, mock up the packaging, and hand you a 7-day social teaser plan.
Step 7 — Click "Create" and try it live
The agent appears in your Agents list, ready to use. Use the test prompts below to demo it to the class.
Test Prompts for The Hype Lab
Use one or two of these live with the class. The image generation moment is the "wow" — build to it.
Test 1 — The crowd-pleaser (snacks)
Let's invent something for the chip aisle. Target shopper: late-twenties professionals who snack at their desk and care about better-for-you ingredients but won't compromise on flavor. Vibe: premium and a little bit weird.
Test 2 — Beverage drop
Brainstorm three limited-edition summer beverage concepts. Target shopper: Gen Z and younger millennials buying at convenience and grocery. Vibe: bold flavor, shareable on TikTok.
Test 3 — Footwear
Pitch three new performance running shoe concepts. Target shopper: weekend half-marathon runners aged 30-50 who want gear that performs but doesn't shout. Vibe: understated and premium.
Test 4 — Mass-retail private label
Help me develop three private-label household cleaner concepts that could sit in a mass-market retailer's home aisle and feel premium. Vibe: clean, confident, sustainability-forward.
Wrap-Up Talking Points (5 min)
- Better prompts in 60 seconds — Prompt Coach + the GCES recipe
- A thinking partner, not a yes-man — Idea Coach for stress-testing and reframing
- An agent you built yourself — Agent Builder + Image Generator + scoped web search, all free
- Build a personal "Meeting Prep Coach" that turns a calendar invite + a topic into an agenda + 3 questions
- Build a "Customer Email Translator" scoped to your own brand voice guidelines (paste them into Instructions)
- Share The Hype Lab with one teammate and add it to a brand-team channel
Everything in this session works with no Microsoft 365 Copilot license. The moment they want their agent to read their SharePoint, email, or Teams — that's when the paid license unlocks the next level.