Insights from Nebo

In my formative teenage years, my idea of a work environment was shaped by my favorite TV shows. I religiously watched “The Office” and “Workaholics,” both of which had the same sort of blandness to their office spaces. Everyone stayed in their cubicles, upper management had their own offices (which you’d never want to find yourself in), people wore skirts or ties every day, and employees would count down the minutes until they put in their eight hours and could go home.

Source: NBC Universal Television

The advertising industry has come a long way over the past 20 years, especially in regards to digital advertising. Before Facebook ads and Buzzfeed content were even a thought, it was all too common to find one of these bad boys popping up on your screen:

Nebo’s always been a bit green, but this year we went full-on, leafy-AF, forest green. With the help of Georgia Tech students, we launched an environmental impact study that gave us tons of insights about when and where we waste. We’re really serious about lowering our carbon footprint. And that’s why in 2018, we pledge to cut the amount of energy, emissions and waste we produce by 10 percent.

To meet this goal, we’ve added compost bins to cut our solid waste, and we’re pretty much a paper-free office. For real, Mr. Epson and Mrs. HP hardly ever run. We recycle everything we can and we donate our electronics. Maybe it’s because we’re led by two veg-heads and a half-hipster who think they can "change the world" (sorry Brian, Adam and Kimm). Either way, many of us live close to the office and we drive hybrids and fuel-efficient compacts to get here.

Before I throw stones at others, I’ll throw one at myself. I’m guilty. And Nebo is guilty. As much as I want to believe we’re pure and a force for good. As much as I want to believe we’re against suffering and stand for the rights of others. As much as I want to believe we’re changing the world for both humans and animals, even in just small ways.

We’re still guilty.

On social media, we've been seeing massive declines in organic reach, which has been resulting in equally massive increases in social posting. But posting more frequently doesn't automatically mean a growth in engagement — in fact, it's almost the opposite. It's time for brands to stop focusing solely on organic reach, and start investing in the things that will actually grow their followings: promoted social.

Here at Nebo, we’re big fans of Atlanta. Not Donald Glover’s "Atlanta" (though I think many of us are also big fans of the show), but the actual city.

Atlanta is the city that facilitated Nebo’s 14 years of growth, so of course, we want to see it thrive.

It’s the ninth-largest metropolitan area in the United States by population and the tenth-largest in terms of GDP.

It’s the city where Bobby Petrino became a villain and Nayvadius Wilburn became Future.

It’s also a city on the cusp of a metropolitan tipping point: affordable enough to be accessible for everyone, but cool enough to attract celebrities and start-ups. We’re approaching the point where we can either embrace our chicness and send rents skyward, or remain affordable and compete with Oklahoma City for the “Kind of Cool, I Guess” award.

On its surface, urban development doesn’t seem like an issue for a digital marketing agency to worry about. Really, though, it’s an issue that everyone needs to care about.