Sharon mentioned looking back at the latest volleys in the Mac vs. PC ad battle while she's away for a couple of weeks. That's certainly a way to keep up with the fascinating marketing was Microsoft and Apple have engaged in over the past year or so.

Now comes word that Microsoft's efforts may be paying off.

Advertising Age, citing work from BrandIndex, reports that the "value perception" of the Apple and Microsoft brands "has shifted dramatically in the eyes of 18- to 34-years-olds" since the first "Laptop Hunters" commercials began running in March. Apple's has fallen, while Microsoft's has risen.

Value perception is based on scores that BrandIndex calculates from daily interviews of 5,000 people. Interviewees are asked if they think the get good value for their money.

The Microsoft campaign emphasizes price in highlighting shoppers looking for a laptop that has their desired features but which cost less than a dollar limit they've set for themselves. Depicting their shopping experience in fast-cut shots, the ads all include one shot in which the shopper looks at a Mac but bemoans its higher price.

Of course, the value message of the ads has a bit more resonance in the context of a tough economy.

Here's the latest in the "Laptop Hunters" series.

<br/><a href="http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?vid=0170090f-53b2-40fc-89a4-c759cb088e0a" target="_new" title="Laptop Hunters $1700 - Lauren and Sue get a Dell XPS 13">Video: Laptop Hunters $1700 - Lauren and Sue get a Dell XPS 13</a>