Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/1998/11/11/amd_takes_brown_box_route/

AMD takes brown box route

Under the counter campaign, or what?

By Mike Magee

Posted in On-Prem, 11th November 1998 16:55 GMT

AMD is conducting a campaign to convince trade journalists to get its own message across, given its marketing budget is far smaller than Intel's. It does not have Intel's marketing budget and is considered a minnow compared to a shark. On Monday, The Register heard that AMD was selling plain brown boxes containing its K6 chips, in a bid to prevent re-marking. AMD refused to discuss the matter on Monday or yesterday, saying the matter was one between it and its distributors. But stories run in UK trade papers PC Dealer and Microscope show that channel titles in the UK -- apart from Computer Reseller News UK, launching next week, were comprehensively briefed by AMD. The grey market is the real issue, said Rana Mainee, AMD's strategic analyst in Europe. He said: "We wanted to make sure our microprocessors did not go wayward. " Mainee added that there have been instances of re-marking. An Intel spokesperson said that he thought AMD's policy was daft. "Who'd want to steal them anyway," he said. AMD was merely taking a copycat stance. ® Intel and AMD are not investors in The Register