Insights from Nebo

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, we've decided to highlight some of our favorite clients: The Irish.

Rambunctious, slightly pugilistic, and always fun to be around, the Irish share many of the same pros and cons of our other clients; just with a few interesting quirks. Here's a list of some of the most interesting things we've observed in our experience with Irish clients.

Too many agency strategists still conduct their work the same way they’ve done it for decades. The same focus groups. The same ad testing. The same creative briefs. This status quo can frustrate client-side marketers. They know that using the same old strategies is just, well, bad strategy.

Lance Weatherby is well-known in Georgia’s marketing and technology communities. Previously a Startup Catalyst at the Advanced Technology Development Center at Georgia Tech, Weatherby’s professional achievements and positive impact on Georgia’s technology community are significant. He spearheaded the effort to bring Startup Weekend to Atlanta, led CipherTrust’s marketing efforts, launched EarthLink’s wireless group and directed business development, marketing, product development and product management at MindSpring. Before taking on the role of Half Off Depot’s COO in November 2011, Lance previously served as the company’s vice president of business development and sales. Lance recently sat down with Nebo to discuss the latest interactive marketing trends and how they are impacting businesses.

On February 28, 2011, I performed standup as part of a comedy class to a sold out crowd of 281 people at the Punchline in Atlanta. (See my routine here.) Not only was it a wonderful personal growth moment but the experience also taught me some unusual principles that I’ve since applied to the world of business. Many people are unnecessarily uncomfortable in the business world, all of the time. At the office or out networking, they are mostly worried about knowing their subject matter and “getting it right.” While a well-scripted phone call or no-nonsense networking conversation may give the impression that they did their homework, that approach often does not come across as particularly charismatic, likeable, or relaxing to team members, clients, or potential prospects. That is why entertainers are great to study. A few of my favorite entertainers illustrate several important communication lessons that can be applied to the business world.

At its most recent Sunset Keynote Event, BMA Atlanta featured Risa Teksten, B2B Industries Solutions Executive at Google. She works with top-rated Fortune 500 companies to develop custom programming, marketing and advertising solutions across Google platforms like YouTube, mobile, Google+ and Google Display properties. Focusing on how discovery, access and choice has changed for B2B marketers in the digital age, Risa discussed ways that companies can improve their use of search, create a unified social experience, and take more advantage of mobile and video. Nebo had the opportunity to partner with BMA Atlanta and conduct a short Q&A with Risa before the event.