We Are Who We’ve Been Waiting For

The past few years have been… a lot. 

They’ve been exhausting. This is true for everyone, regardless of where you come from or what you believe. And while most of us have lived through trying times before, the present moment feels especially unstable. Not only do we have the uncertainty that we’ve all collectively experienced in the last several years, but now we have political anxiety, unpredictable economic changes, and the uncertainty of AI. 

IMHO, it seems like we’ve lost hope. When I talk to other people in the marketing industry, it seems like we’ve lost a sense of purpose. I don’t know a single person who hasn’t asked themselves at some point in the last few years: 

“Why am I making ads right now? The world is on fire.”

A quick note: this post isn’t an answer to that question. It doesn’t apply to everyone. It’s also not advice, per se. But it is how Nebo plans to meet this moment in time. Because the dumpster fire of the present is the new normal, that only gives us two choices.

We can stare at the dumpster fire and think, “Does anything we do even matter?”

Or we can say, “Yes, the world is a f’g dumpster fire. No, advertising and marketing aren’t important in the scheme of things like war, disease, oppression, etc., But we’re going to control what we can control. We’re going to impact what we can impact.”

We’re going to meet the moment by fighting to relentlessly put good in the world. In big ways when those opportunities present themselves, but at least in the small ways we can. 

As an advertising and marketing agency, our job is to promote our clients, bring hope and certainty, and lead in a positive, uplifting way. We’ve worked hard to do that for our clients, who range from healthcare, FnB, retail, B2C, B2B, non-profits, and more. This work feels purposeful. We get to help our clients bring their products and services to the people who need them. 

But when it comes to making our own content and promoting ourselves, we’ve been intentionally low-key. You might have noticed this is our first blog post in three years. Now, we’re changing gears. We have to put good into the world, even if it’s in small and “meaningless” ways. 

I had a former boss tell me something I’ll never forget. 

She said, “It’s easy to be successful. All you have to do is make everyone in your life better for knowing you versus not knowing you.”

It’s really that simple. How do we make the people in our lives better for knowing us? It might be 100 small, simple, meaningless things in the scheme of things, but these pebbles of good can have a ripple effect.

For example, does a blog post about the future of Programmatic Media Buying change the world for good? Not for most people. But for someone out there who, in spite of all the BS in the world, is still striving to grow their career or improve their business, it can actually help. 

Maybe they get promoted because of our thought leadership. Maybe the author of the post gets invited to speak at a prestigious conference. Maybe an up-and-coming business outmaneuvers their competition, all because of this “meaningless content.”

As a small 100+ person agency, we can’t change the world on our own. But we can f’g try. 

If we put good into the world through our work, through caring about our clients, our peers, our vendors, and our teammates, then maybe we can make an impact, however small, on the people who want to make the world a better place.

The reality is, there is no magic wand to fix everything. Real life isn’t a movie. There isn’t one singular solution that will bring the world back to a less exhausting and acrimonious state.

We have to be the hero we’ve been waiting for. And no, I’m not saying Nebo is the hero. What I’m saying is that we, as individual humans, have to be resilient. 

We have to put good into the world in every way we can. From creating amazing ad campaigns for our clients, to writing thought-provoking industry articles, to doing pro bono and force for good projects where possible, to working as hard as we can to help our teammates, peers, clients, and others reap the benefit of these seemingly meaningless things.

So, if it feels like our thought leadership pieces, or lighthearted social content, or ads about Nebo don’t seem to fit the moment, you’re right. 

But the alternative is worse.