Insights from Nebo

For a 12-year-old agency, Nebo sure has its share of myths and legends. Of course there’s Neboween, the most sacred day in our cultural calendar, but there’s also the beer goat, impromptu Ping-Pong tournaments and the time Hot Pockets were ordered en masse at the W Hotel after a particularly “festive” holiday party.

When you become part of this insanely talented group of people, there’s no real initiation rite. Still, the stories seep in day after day, until you know all about Texas Pete, the beer-and-donut eating contests and the time a developer brought gasoline to an office gift exchange. As a still newish employee, it’s all a little intimidating. How exactly does one become part of Nebo history?

The holidays are all about spending time with those you love most. At Nebo, our list includes each other, our dogs and, of course, our clients. To ring in the holiday season, we designed and printed custom gift wrap to send to our clients — it’s our way of saying “thanks” for all they do. Without them, we wouldn’t be here!

Take a look at the video to see how it all came together. Happy Holidays!

As 2017 approaches, it feels like we’re finally at the doorstep of a future we’ve imagined for decades. Virtual reality and augmented reality are gaining popularity with major brands and are poised to make big changes to the way we interact with the world.

At the AIMA Innovation special interest group, held at Nebo on November 16 and moderated by Eric Holtzclaw, attendees got to experience these innovative technologies firsthand as digital pioneers from CNN, Delta and TRICK 3D spoke about how they are engaging with customers and growing their audiences using augmented and virtual reality.

Didn’t get to attend? Don’t sweat it. Here’s our recap of what went down at the event.

Confession: I was a terrible college student. I was always five minutes late to class, asking for extensions on my papers, reading the wrong assignment and forgetting appointments with my professors. Yet somehow, I went on to get both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and all was Gucci.

How did I not flunk out? Because for every appointment I blew off or essay I forgot to write, someone always loaned me a convenient excuse:

“Oh, she’s just being a writer.”

Both of my degrees are in creative writing. If a med student pulled the same stunts, they’d be flunked in no time. But when you write short stories about zombies for a degree, people don’t hold you to higher standards.

That’s because we love to romanticize the mad creative genius. With headlines touting that forgetfulness is a sign of intelligence and being disorganized makes you smarter, it’s easy to see why.

I’m a terrible listener. I’m not just bad at listening — I’m really, really bad at listening.

Now you may be asking yourself, as the reader, why should you care? Maybe you shouldn’t. But, if you’re in a leadership role, or will be one day, you can potentially learn from my mistakes. If you’re not in a leadership role, then you can better understand why others don’t listen well. And if you can peek into their mental universe, maybe you can help them change.

In order for me to get to the root of my own listening issues, I need to focus on two questions: why am I a bad listener and can I change?

Last year I served as the president of a campus organization called TechList. Some days I wanted to punch a wall. Some days all I could do was laugh, using humor as a shield against the onslaught of insanity. When advising the incoming TechList president before he ascended the throne, I told him that campus leadership, much like Toy Story 3, is a roller coaster of emotions.

During my time at Georgia Tech, I’ve been involved in as many organizations as humanly possible. This kind of lifestyle can be exhausting, but I've also helped found two organizations, run for vice president of the GT student body and — when I came in first loser — worked within the GT Student Government Association as graphics chair and creative director.

And I haven’t just been involved on campus. I’ve worked and interned at a tutoring agency, an enterprise mobility management company called AirWatch, and now the most excellent of digital marketing agencies — Nebo.

All these experiences taught me a lot about the joys and frustrations of leading. But most importantly, leading has taught me how to follow.

Interns and young professionals: It’s important to know that being a good follower isn’t intuitive. Like with many soft skills, it’s easy to overlook competent following as an asset until you experience its alternative up close.

Here's what I learned from my stints in the C-suite: