The thing about Ethereum is the extreme hype and marketing. Nem has a better technology than Bitcoin, but that won't overcome the Bitcoin brand.
What NEM needs is more community. I hear about things going on in the Far East, but this is the prime thread in the English speaking world and there are often several hours between posts.
The nem.io forum might manage one or two new threads a day with the wind behind it and the reddit sub has less than 200 subscribers.
There are total junk coins with way, way more conversation swirling around them.
It doesn't need pumps. It needs more interest. It must have attracted plenty of passing interest by now but it's still not sticking and I'm not sure why.