Mobile Payment Venture Backed by T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon Preps Marketing Push

Mobile-payment venture Isis, backed by U.S. mobile carriers including AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, is finalizing agency partners for a major awareness push next year for its upcoming commerce platform and mobile wallet.

"The reality is, we're accelerating," said Jaymee Johnson, head of marketing for Isis, which aims to turn mobile phones into replacements for plastic cards in brick-and-mortar retail as the entire mobile-payment category heats up. While Mr. Johnson declined to comment on agency selections, shops said to be in the running include independent Butler Shine Stern & Partners and Publicis Groupe's Razorfish. No contracts have been signed, he added. As other major mobile platforms such as Google and BlackBerry also clamber into payments, marketing might prove to be Isis' leg up in a category that's already highly competitive, far before the technology's even ready.