After being somewhat of a loser to Apple on the advertisement front, Microsoft appears to have hit the nail on the head with its recently-posted third episode of its "Laptop Hunters" ad, wherein the camera follows prospective buyers of a free laptop!

The Microsoft advertising campaign - aimed at conveying the benefits of PC vis-à-vis the Mac - is certainly a cut above the rest as it does not tread the beaten path. Rather than going in for the easier-to-do anti-Apple ads, the company has tried to make its case by saying that though Macs are 'cool,' PCs are perfectly 'practical and smart'!

A winner by any standards, the Microsoft advertising campaign had, in its first episode, Lauren uttering the now-familiar sentence - "I'm not cool enough to be a Mac person," trying to strike a chord with prudent shoppers, hinting at the purchase of a basic, reliable PC.

The second ad had Giampaulo maintaining the pro-PC theme, suggesting that a fab Euro-nerd can be practical enough to avoid buying the Mac. And now, the third ad has a mother-son team of Lisa and 11-year-old Jackson, searching a fast notebook PC, and realizing that Mac price exceeds their budget constraint.

Microsoft has planned three more ads on similar lines, playing the price card more evidently amid the grim economic scenario!