Someone on this blog once commented that AMD is “out-marketed” by our competitor.  I believe they meant to write that we are “out-spent”.  Regardless, it is a challenge to be a CMO competing against a monopolist. The right thing to do is not out-spend them, but instead to be smart about getting close to the customer and their needs.

Sometimes, that means doing the complete opposite of the conventional approach. And today, we believe it’s time for some unconventional thinking.

The truth is that little has changed in the way x86 processors are marketed since AMD introduced 64 bits and multi-core processors. Even then the marketing, while it was new and creative, was another way of saying, “faster, better and more.”  It didn’t fundamentally change the way the industry talked about its products.

And today, in the mobile or notebook world the key issue for consumer is not the processor (or even the speed of the processor), but rather the combination of parts – or the “platform” as we call it – that make up the machine. There are of course customers who still want the processor which has the fastest “0-60 mph” speed, but we believe most mainstream consumers are more interested in how they are going to use the system, not necessarily how fast it is.

One of the reasons for this disconnect is that the “0-60 mph” speed metrics are derived through benchmarks like SysMark07. I have used this blog to talk about how a benchmark like MM07 on its own does not reflect typical battery usage (i.e. they don’t tell the “whole story”), and SysMark07 has the same limitation with workloads.  I will leave it to other people to detail why this benchmark is inadequate for most users, but I will point out that the software the benchmark uses has virtually nothing to do with videos, music or helping your manage your photos. Also, it doesn’t run Windows 7.

The Consumer PC Buying Experience Today

For the typical consumer considering a notebook purchase, the first question is typically a usage question, maybe followed by a size and weight consideration. In testing we did, not once did the shopper ask for a processor brand as primary consideration. What mainstream consumers want is machines on which to do office work, to watch movies, to listen to music, to edit their photos and even edit their videos.

While processor speed has an effect on how quickly some of these types of workloads can be done, other parts of the platform – elements like the graphics cards, the size of the screen and the reality of how long the battery will really last – can be just as important.

If we are going to help the consumer get the right machine for them, we really need to market to them in a way that makes sense. We started that a few months ago by beginning an industry conversation around battery life. Today we want to take that to the next level.

A New VISION

Today we introduce a whole new way to help consumers buy the right machine for their needs. Today AMD is introducing a new approach in retail we call VISION Technology from AMD.

Other  blogs will give you all the details about what this represents in terms of the brand and the technology – the platform. In particular, check out Pat Moorhead’s blog on our new ultrathin mainstream notebook platform  or Ian McNaughton’s blog on how Microsoft Windows 7 and DirectX 11 are also going to enhance users’ computing experiences. And for a simple guide you can check this website www.amd.com/whichvision.

In its simplest form we are connecting the needs of the consumer to the PC – not the processor. When you go into a retail store this holiday you will see VISION Basic, VISION Premium and VISION Ultimate on many PCs powered by AMD technology – not the name of our processor. Straightforward guides for retailers and consumers will help them know which VISION is right for them.

• VISION – Basic is for people who use productivity tools like Microsoft® Office and who surf the web, maybe listen to music and look at their photos
• VISION – Premium is for those who also want to watch High-definition and Blu-rays, edit photos and play some games
• VISION – Ultimate is for the video editor and 3D game player

We are also going to enable a VISION – Black edition for our technology partners who build the high-end, top of the line systems.

There is a lot more to VISION than I can capture in one blog – I am sure I will be doing others.

Just in case you were worrying, VISION Technology from AMD will extend to desktops early next year and your retailers will be able to tell you what parts went into your VISION system (it will be on the fact tags).

In the end it is about getting you the right machine for your needs because it’s about making your vision a reality.

Nigel Dessau is senior vice president and chief marketing officer at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such links sites and no endorsement is implied.