Insights from Nebo

Scroll Down
March 6, 2014

Is the 2nd Screen Really the 1st Screen for Millennials?

The living room has traditionally been the hub of entertainment for as long as anyone can remember. When Americans were promised “a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage” back in the 1920’s, a radio in every living room would have fit perfectly in the infamous campaign slogan. By the 1950s, television became the new standard. Families would gather round the set top and watch “I Love Lucy,” “Gunsmoke,” “The Ed Sullivan Show,” or “Father Knows Best,” at the same Bat Time on the same Bat Channel.

While this model thrived for decades, as time moved on our habits changed and technology evolved. What was once the big TV in the living room has started to become the elephant in the room. This is true for both millennials, who are often more engaged on their mobile device, and marketers, who aren’t sure how to change their strategies to match the status quo.

Most of the discussion about this development refers to mobile devices as the “2nd Screen,” where viewers are using their laptops, smart phones or tablets while simultaneously watching broadcast TV. However, this designation does more to serve the needs of marketers and programmers than represent reality. While viewers are often engaged on their mobile devices while watching broadcast television, Googling facts or discussing shows over social, the 2nd Screen is more and more becoming the first screen for millennials in terms of viewing content.

March 4, 2014

Things That Don't Make Sense: Copywriters without Cover Letters

If you head over to Nebo’s Careers Page you’ll find we have Copywriter listed under the “Ongoing Needs” section. Sometimes we’re looking for full time help and sometimes we’re just looking for freelancers to pitch in on certain projects, but the fact is there’s always a place here for great writers. And you can imagine that, with the listing staying up all year round, we get a ton of resumes.

But we’ve noticed a disturbing trend recently in a lot of our submissions: copywriter applications with no cover letter.

February 27, 2014

Love and Media Relations: How to Connect Online

At Nebo, we talk a lot about being “human-centered.” It sounds simple, even instinctive. But in reality, it takes a lot of effort – especially in the digital world. For PR professionals, this means remembering that the job is about relationships, not just blasting out a press release, getting placements and moving on to the next project. Human-centered media relations aims to establish lasting connections with journalists, influencers, thought leaders and their audiences. But how do you make meaningful connections with people you’ve never even met face-to-face?

This same question has plagued online daters since the dawn of Match.com, and many users continue to struggle with it. Some people may even think it’s impossible to find love through these services – but 20% of committed romantic relationships begin online, so some users must be doing it right. It’s difficult to form a real bond without in-person interaction, but there are certain tips that can help users begin building successful relationships before meeting offline.

In this series, I’ve shown how creating an OKCupid profile is a lot like key messaging and how reaching out to other users is similar to pitching media contacts. In the final installment of Love and Media Relations, I’ll explore what online dating can teach PR professionals about genuinely connecting and bringing humanity back to the digital industry.

February 25, 2014

Umpteen Signs You're a Marketer Suffering from Content Fatigue

“Content is king” has gone from being a cliché of SEO to the status quo of the web. And if you’re curious as to when this development became official, check out the recently redesigned website for the Coca-Cola Company. Company websites are operating less like, well, company websites, and more like publishers. In turn, marketing teams are expected to act more like editorial bullpens. Unfortunately, modifying a skillset takes more than adding another line to your resume.

While Coke hired their own team of journalists, editors and content marketers to make their lofty ambitions come true, not every organization has the resources or desire for such a big investment. This leaves stalwart marketers to enter into the fray of blogging, video production, meme generating and tweeting, to figure things out as they go. An unfortunate side effect of this action is that the team begins to suffer from content fatigue.

When you first started your venture into content marketing, you had a plethora of ideas and the support of a vast network of team members. Now things have become touch and go. If you or any of your fellow content marketers have experienced one or more of the following symptoms, you may have content fatigue. Luckily, we have some suggested remedies.

February 20, 2014

UX IRL: The Dangers of Clamshell Packaging

For many of us at Nebo, it can be hard to leave our work at work. Intuitively, we apply the same human-centered approach we use for our clients to our everyday experiences. Realizing that it is futile to fight it, we’ve decided to embrace it. We’ve decided to look at everyday things and figure out ways that the user experience can be improved. This is a look at the user experience in real life, or as people online might put it, UX IRL.

Today’s subject: clamshell packaging.

February 14, 2014

Love and Media Relations: A Pitch to Remember

As PR professionals, part of our job is to pitch clients’ stories to target outlets and influencers. At the agency, the only pitches we see are the ones we’re sending. But on the other end – at the newsroom – those pitches are just a drop in the bucket. Media relations specialists rarely experience this transaction from the other side, but online dating has given me a surprisingly fresh perspective on pitching. In this installment of Love and Media Relations, I’ll continue to share PR lessons I’ve learned through online dating, showing how contacting potential love interests is a lot like pitching media contacts.

1 73 75 77