There are a lot smiles around the office today. Nebo just gave every member of the team, from department directors to interns, a brand new iPad 3! You might be asking why and the reason is simple. We want every employee to be fluent in the multi-device world and to understand how tablets like the iPad change the way people interact with brands, technology, and each other. So, why not just give iPads to the senior team? Well, that’s not how Nebo operates. We believe that good ideas can come Read More...

Howdy folks, I’ve been an Apple fanatic for quite a few years now, and there’s nothing I love more than finding new ways to save time. Since day 1 of OSX Lion’s release I have thoroughly enjoyed it and this is a list of some of my favorite little known features. Now you can resize windows from any side of a window Throw out the notion that you have to find the bottom right corner of a window to resize it! Apple has made a simple yet life changing update, you can now hover Read More...

Women are the trusted source in so many families. They are counselor, teacher, medic, financial advisor and chef! They influence 85% of purchasing decisions in a household, and often that woman is a mom. And that’s not just diapers and detergent. Women buy more cars, insurance and consumer electronics than men as well. As Brand Activists, it is critical to understand and clearly define the needs and motivations of this powerful audience in a way that helps brands connect with Read More...

Introducing Line K. RIESTER is excited to be a part of K. Hovnanian Homes’ newest community, Line K at Pinnacle Peak Place, which officially opened with a VIP reception yesterday in Scottsdale, AZ. Line K is a groundbreaking collaboration for the homebuilding industry. For the first time in Arizona, a homebuilder has teamed up with a world-renowned architect and designer to create a community of semi-custom homes that are unlike anything ever seen. Dutch architect and designer Piet Read More...

Luxury watches tell more about the wearer than about the time of day. And the best watches, as everyone knows, are made in Switzerland. Just like Scotch whiskey, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and Bordeaux wine, “Swiss-made” is a place-of-origin brand. It’s not a Swiss-made watch unless the assembly work and testing of the movement take place in Switzerland. Swiss law also requires at least 50% of the components of the movement be manufactured in Switzerland. Some well-known Read More...

Just about everyone has either heard about or used Google Analytics, Google’s web analytics platform. But how much do you really know about it? Here are 10 fun and interesting facts about the platform you may not have known, and a refresher for all the analytics nerds out there.  1. Google Analytics is the most popular Web Analytics tool in the world. Google Analytics is installed on at least 10 million websites, is used by 64% of the Top 500 US Retailers, 45% of Fortune 500 companies, Read More...

Mother’s Day may be a “Hallmark Holiday,” but we all feed into it one way or another. Let’s face it, everyone has a mother figure in their life whether we consider that woman to be a birth mom, a step mom, an adopted mom, an aunt, grandma or influential friend. There’s usually a special woman on Mother’s Day that deserves to be recognized. Knowing this, brands can leverage online campaigns around Mother’s Day to offer a special gift or incentive with mom in mind, Read More...

Google+, Google’s latest attempt to harness the power of social media, has become integrated into many of the search giant’s products, from AdWords to YouTube. Unfortunately, Google+ has failed to engage users mirroring the failure of Google Wave and Google Buzz. Will continuing to support a failing product damage Google’s reputation beyond repair or is Google+ simply too big to fail? Our President, Adam Harrell, went head to head with Senior SEO Specialist, Brett Snyder, over the Read More...

Executive Director of Digital Services Alan Perkel has joined Mirja, Tom and me as partner of RIESTER. Since joining the company in 2008, Alan has brought passion, creativity and a “can do” attitude to the digital department. His focus on creating leading edge digital marketing solutions for RIESTER’s clients has helped them all grow and allowed RIESTER to increase its capabilities and client base. His mobile first model, that can be seen on the new www.firstsolar.com, and Read More...

Marketing would have us believe we are defined by what we consume. What we wear, what we drink, what we drive. And what we sit on. In furniture retailer Havertys‘ new TV spot (below), a customer expresses her “oneness” with her customized chair. Although the commercial cleverly promotes Havertys’ customization program, it does not differentiate the brand. The option to select fabrics and colors is commonplace within the category. Nor is Havertys an affinity brand, the Read More...

In an ongoing series entitled What Every Internet Professional Needs to Know About Advertising, we have covered a wide range of topics to date. In the first post, we examined The Relevance of Traditional Advertising in the Digital World. As much as you hear about the death of traditional models, it’s interesting to consider, and important not to forget, all of the methods and principles of sound communication. The next post in the series provided a brief analysis of Why Bad Ads Happen—a Read More...

Here’s a take on marketing to 18-24 year-olds, from our very own 18-24 year-old, Jake, one of ABC’s excellent interns. Please. Capture My Attention. I’m Begging You. One lesson in the very first advertising class that I attended in an auditorium in the basement of Syracuse University’s Newhouse School was that the average person is [...] Read More...

Next week is the 2012 Digital Summit, an annual digital marketing event held here in Atlanta. I’ll be participating in a panel discussion on “Designing for Multiple Platforms” moderated by our good friends at TripLingo. The Digital Summit always features an incredible variety of both national and local Atlanta speakers. This year is no different, they will have over 75 speakers and a couple of great keynotes. Mostly, the summit focuses on innovation related to digital marketing, Read More...

So you have spent the time to create valuable, relevant content that your target audiences will go nuts over. Congratulations…the initial production of content can be the most challenging part. It’s kinda like making a commitment to go to the gym. Getting there is the hardest part, but once you’re there you feel a great sense of accomplishment. Now that you have the content, what steps can you take to promote your content? What can you do to share this content with those most Read More...

Let’s say you want to sell more nuts to men. Let’s say you obtained a rare Men’s Health endorsement. Let’s say you are Planters. What do you do with your fop of a spokes-character? You know, that cane-twirling, white-gloved, top-hatted dandy? What Planters did was introduce him to a rough crowd (a pistachio and an almond) to toughen up his image. The three comprise Planters NUT-rition Men’s Health Recommended Mix, “the  manliest mix we’ve ever Read More...

In honor of this week’s NFL Draft, Nebo recently interviewed sports marketing veteran Jim Smith. Before stepping into his role with the Atlanta Falcons in 2004, Jim was President/General Manager of the Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew, held sports marketing positions at Ohio State University and the World Wrestling Federation, and worked in minor league baseball. Jim’s impact on the Atlanta Falcons has been significant, ranging from creating a new standard for the Falcons brand Read More...

The first decade of the 21st century was filled with mobile advocates crying wolf saying, “This is the year for mobile!” Then, each year passed with a disappointing sigh. Then in 2007, the iPhone hit the market and the real mobile revolution started to gain traction. The iPad came on the scene in 2010 and was seen by many (including myself) as a game changer. These two devices have made the dream of ubiquitous mobile computing a reality. Recently, this mobile-driven ecosystem hit Read More...

There is mediocre marketing. There is bad marketing. And there is failed marketing. But there is something worse than all of those combined: the AJC Reach. They claim to be marketing. But they are litter. Garbage masquerading as marketing. The AJC Reach is a color booklet of advertising, coupons, and discounts wrapped in a plastic bag and thrown on lawns and driveways in the metro Atlanta area. It’s branded by the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, which outsources its production to a company Read More...

We’re excited to share our client First Solar’s new website with you. The new website reflects the company’s mission to “create enduring value by enabling a world powered by clean, affordable solar electricity.” Thank you to the First Solar team for giving us the opportunity to work on this fabulous project! Visit FirstSolar.com and see how First Solar is changing the world. Read More...

Despite the multitude of branding consultants, theories, philosophies, processes, diagrams, white papers, and, of course, books, not all consumers care about brands. For a variety of reasons, they may remain oblivious or choose to ignore a brand’s best efforts to engage them. Specifically: • They may not care about a particular brand category. For example, they may not need home insurance. Marketing directed to them is wasted. At least, for now. • Or they may not distinguish between Read More...