Once again I have just sat through the appalling diatribe that is Microsoft's latest advert for Windows 7. You may be thinkin that this sounds somewhat harsh, but I can assure you my view is well founded. The new campaign replaces the previous (and equally awful) attempts. Primarily the "PC challenge" where people were sent to look at laptops in a store and walk out with one that they claim is better value than an Apple laptop. This campaign completely neglected to show off Windows 7 and instead spent more time advertising hardware that has nothing to do with MS than demoing their own product.

Next came the slightly better, but equally poor, "I'm a PC" campaign in which assorted people talk about a feature of Windows 7 then finish by saying "Windows 7 was my idea". The plus side of this campaign was that it showed off some features of the operating system. An OS which I have often spoken highly of and to be quite honest, I'm a fan of Windows 7. However it pains me to once more see Microsoft slipping into old habits with their new campaign once again showing nothing of the product itself, but opting to show the backs of a number of laptops.

Here's the set up, it starts by talking about someone's current computer that gets referred to as ancient. Next they show a time lapse photography montage of some people moving all the furniture around inside the persons house, laying a laminate floor, putting up shelving and opening a "store" inside someone's house. Then the owner returns home, says something like "oh wow" then gets shown all the computers in their new lounge store. At the end they pick one laptop and proudly proclaim they are a PC.

Now is it just me, or are there some serious flaws here?

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If I came home to find someone had rearranged my lounge and rigged up a store, I wouldn't be impressed, in fact I'd be far from it. I'd probably have had a few choice words then promptly called the police! It's this kind of stupidity that instantly switched me off to an advert, to the point that I no longer care what it's for. The simple fact is it's just annoyed me. But forget about the glaringly obvious lack of reality, the real meat and potatoes of the advert focusses around the product. The problem is what product though? At no point do I actually see any of the features of Windows 7 get shown. Nor do I even get shown the endless possibilites the OS could open up to me.

Let's pause for a second and look south of Redmond to Cupertino. No one can debate the fact that Apple's marketing machine is extremely slick. Every single Apple advert at present has the product front and centre of your screen throughout. Each advert also shows you some of the possibilities the product (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch etc) open up to the user. It's an old school but very effective advertising means - advertising the product being sold and actually showing you what it can do.

Now back to Redmond, Microsoft seem to have completely sidetracked this whole issue. Do I care that the home owner decided that a Sony Vaio is their favourite computer? No. How about that it's nice and light weight? Nope. In fact you'd be forgiven for thinking it's an advert for hardware, it's only the Windows 7 logo at the end that tells you it's a Windows advert. I don't want to see some phony set up, dismal acting and an array of hardware that runs Windows. What I want to see is what the system can do. In fact I'd imagine a lot of people who may be thinking about replacing an old system might want to see what Windows 7 has to offer. Surely it might even give them a prod in the right direction? Instead we have to put up with another dire advertising campaign.

Microsoft really needs to reconsider the strategy. The company is responsible for some great innovations and some great products, but it doesn't matter how good a product is, without the right marketing it simply won't realise it's potential. Microsoft already lost out on a lot of people ditching XP for Vista. Uptake of Windows 7, while good, has still seen many sticking with their old XP based computers. So come on Microsoft, I dare you to think differently and really show off what you can offer.