Friday, September 21, 2007

Netkey raises funds to buy stuff, PR says they're awesome...

... And hey, who am I to question a press release from a (now) digital signage company? I mean, they're always up-front, honest and free of hype, right?

According to the release they needed some extra cash to purchase Webpavement, and it's possible that they plan on making a few more acquisitions in the near future. Normally this wouldn't even merit a blog article, but as is typical, hyperbole got the better of the company and they decided to include this gem from the CEO:
Our leadership position has been enhanced being the only company offering customers end to end solutions comprised of both kiosks and digital signage.
Apparently this guy and his staff haven't yet mastered the skill of spending 30 seconds on Google to do a bit of competitive research. Am I annoyed because WireSpring makes software for kiosks and digital signs, and has been for over 7 years now? Sure. But also because there are literally dozens of other companies that do as well, and I guarantee you that Netkey knows about a lot of us.

While I personally don't care if Netkey claims their software is made from unicorn hooves and can cure cancer, in an industry already overwhelmed with unsubstantiated claims and viewed with skepticism by advertisers and analysts, insipid and obviously incorrect statements like this just make all of us look bad.

But we all know that for many companies, press releases aren't about being honest or forthcoming. They're about embellishing and stretching the truth as much as possible before a bunch of people get cranky and start writing about it on the web. So in that case, mission accomplished, Netkey. Nicely done.

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1 comment:

Unknown said...

I second that! We don't need more hype. We need reality here folks! Over-zealous press releases help as as much as the "1,000+ networks promoted and then never deployed". I urge retailers and other network operators to give permission for valid case studies and other validated forums to show our industry proud!