New Microsoft ads kick off this weekend

Microsoft's Real PC campaign kicks off on 11 October

Microsoft is to launch the first in a new series of TV adverts this Saturday in a bid to rejuvenate the Windows product line and move on from the failure of its previous US campaign featuring Jerry Seinfeld.

The Real PC campaign, which kicks off in the UK on the evening of 11 October, will set out to address common "misconceptions" about PCs, and position Windows as essential to consumers and business professionals on any device.

The campaign will also try to show the diversity of PC users with an 'I'm a PC' initiative, whereby consumers will be encouraged to upload messages to Microsoft's Life Without Walls web site.

"This is where we set the record straight, shatter the stereotype and show who the real PCs are," said Rob Reilly, executive creative director at ad agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky.

Microsoft cancelled its much-hyped Jerry Seinfeld/Bill Gates US advertising campaign last month. In its place, the firm launched two new advertising strategies designed to tout the benefits of Windows Vista and strike back at Apple's 'Get a Mac' campaign.