Microsoft today unveiled a $200m corporate ad campaign which it hopes can help it offset the effects of a global slump in PC sales.

The TV and press campaign - with the strapline "Software for the agile business" - has been created by McCann Erickson.

Aimed at businesses rather than consumers, it will be the software company's biggest ever campaign.

It will kick off soon in the US and is expected to be rolled out globally this year.

The world's biggest company is beginning to feel the pinch of a slowdown in PC sales.

Figures released today by UK research firm Context showed the European PC market in 2000 suffered its worst fourth quarter for four years.

As the business and home PC markets approach saturation, Microsoft is unable to shift as much of its highly profitable PC-based software such as Office and Excel.

Instead it has recognised that growth comes from selling businesses whole solutions - what it calls enterprise software - such as strategies for e-commerce with customers.

"Through the magic of software we can help make smaller companies big, and make big companies fast," said Microsoft president and chief executive officer Steve Ballmer.

Mr Ballmer is also targeting other areas for growth including mobile phone operating systems and games consoles.

In the latter category, Microsoft is about to announce an agency to handle the launch of the Xbox games console, which goes on sale in the US and Japan this autumn.

The Xbox campaign is expected to be even bigger than today's 'software agility' campaign.