Critics have described Isis’s SXSW event on Tuesday as lacking substance. Many attendees were hoping for Isis to finally unveil the differences and, more importantly, the advantages between its mobile payments system and those developed by Google and PayPal. The demonstration, however, reportedly did not even involve a display of how the payments would be used in real-world situations. Instead, the focus was on a series of marketing videos led by someone describing himself as a “cyber illusionist,” and referring to his Isis demonstration as a “trick.”
Marketing is all about associating words and images with desired attributes. What words are conjured up by a magician calling himself a cyber illusionist and dubbing a mobile wallet presentation a “trick”? Illusion. Deception. What you see is not what you get. Smoke and mirrors.
With Isis’s initial roll out beginning soon, some substantive information would have been useful, particularly for those people interested enough in the product to stop by the SXSW event. It appears, however, information released about the product will continue to be limited until the Austin and Salt Lake City rollouts.
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