Intel claims that Centrino is the best thing since sliced bread, but according to AMD (no surprise here!) the brand is not as awesome as Intel would have you believe. AMD has apparently reached this conclusion after spending quite a bit of money on research. The truth, it seems, is that Centrino will be well known to you depending on where you are and why you're buying a notebook in the first place.
If you're in Japan, for instance, and you're a consumer, Centrino may well be a closed book to you. But if you're in the business world+dog, you are very likely to have come across the brand, wherever you are. That's probably because if you're in the weird demimonde of international airports, your eyes will have been assailed by massive Centrino posters as well as the very familiar shops you're expected to waste your money in.
Mind you, try asking anyone about the Turion brand, AMD's own baby. How many people have heard of that?