Three Saturday editions of The Daily Telegraph, December 7, 14 and January 11, will carry 16-page Microsoft-sponsored tabloid supplements. The first will be an advertorial, while the second and third issues will feature display advertising and editorial.
The value of the deal was not disclosed, but estimates in the industry indicate that it would be a six-figure sum approaching the £500,000 mark.
'Changing Rooms' presenter Linda Barker and her family will feature in the supplements and in subsequent point of sale and marketing to support the "Amazing PC" campaign, which is the name being applied to Microsoft partners' Windows XP-compatible PCs.
The supplements will raise awareness of the home computing capabilities for activities such as games, digital photography, home movies and personalised jukeboxes. Each of the supplements will carry a competition offering the chance to win an "Amazing PC".
Nick McGrath, Microsoft group marketing manager, said: "Our aim is to educate and excite customers across the UK. Working with the Daily Telegraph will enable us to target existing customers with exciting upgrades and also target new customers who are considering purchasing a computer for use in the home."
The deal was negotiated by the Telegraph Group advertising team's strategic planners Gail Edmans and Richard Collins, who won a competitive pitch held by Microsoft's media agency Universal McCann.
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