I might as well lay my cards on the table. My favourite ever comedian is Spike Milligan, though Chris Rock’s early stuff leaves me gasping for air, praying for a lull so I might breath between belly laughs. My favourite ever sitcom is Arrested Development, followed by Frasier – both of which are so mind-bogglingly brilliant, a choir should start a lament every time we mention their passing.

I like my comedy to come from unexpected angles, I appreciate bad jokes told well, and comedians who charge at the truth without fear of what will happen when they hit it – stand up Bill Hicks and Richard Prior. I’m laying all this at your feet, because I’m about to use it as a crash mat.

You see, the Vista advert made me laugh, and more importantly I think it’s a good piece of marketing.

That singular fact puts me in opposition to almost 98.4% of the blogosphere, who feel the same way about the Vista advert I do about genocide and people who talk at the theatre. Whatever their protestations, it’s not the worst advert ever and anybody who believes it is clearly needs a bout of insomnia and a television that only picks up Channel Five. It’s also not a $300m advert, which is the other muddle-headed claim. Microsoft has spent $300m on the campaign, which will cover multiple adverts over a couple of years, banners, posters, events, celebrity appearences, sponsorship and the entire paraphernalia of nonsense that goes along with modern marketing. Whether it’s a waste of money or not is irrelevant. It’s Microsoft’s money, and the company can do with it as it pleases. Nobody tells you how to spend your cash.

The only argument that matters is whether the advert is a success or not, and that has nothing to do with how you feel about it. Some people like it, some people find it cringe worthy, but everybody’s talking about it and that’s always the first goal. No it didn’t mention Vista, but as this is the first in a series, it doesn’t have to.

And besides, I’m not entirely sure that would be too clever anyway. Arguably Vista’s image problem is also a Microsoft problem. People don’t like Microsoft, and so they don’t like Vista. Beating people over the head with an advertisement that says Vista is ace, isn’t going to change that.  They probably haven’t used it anyway. So perhaps, the first step is to change the image of the parent, and then deal with the image of the child. And the most recognisable face of Microsoft is Gates.

The advert, together with the Bill’s Last Day video, are slowly turning Gates into Microsoft’s mascot, a bumbling jester type figure stumbling from one weird situation to another. They’re giving Microsoft a personality beyond the one imposed by its antitrust case and business deals. It’s something they’ve never attempted before and and I think it’s going to work.

This is the first advert, and there’ll be more. And they will talk about Vista. And ten to one, they’ll make me laugh.