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"Will You Please Take My Child?"
And Other Stories From 30 Years in Business

By George Foster, CEO of Foster Marketing Communications

It was 30 years ago this month that my wife and I and a part-time artist opened the doors of The Foster Agency in a small, 100-square-foot office in downtown Lafayette, La. We had one client, really a project, for John E. Chance & Associates. We developed their first ever corporate brochure.

Spin forward to today, and we're still working with Fugro Chance and its parent company, the multibillion-dollar Dutch company Fugro. The years have gone by quickly since those early years as The Foster Agency. I'll never forget my first Ad Club meeting in Lafayette when the President of the Club announced that I had started an ad agency. He asked me what the name of my new company was, and I said "The Foster Agency," to which he replied satirically, "That's creative."

A unique name not-withstanding (now we are experts in developing unique names for products and companies), the name Foster has served us well. Just think of all the things we "foster" — pride, camaraderie, good will, creativity, marketing strategy, etc.

However, the name The Foster Agency provided some unique problems for us. For example, one day I came into the office to a blinking light on my voice mail messaging machine. A sobbing female voice had left me the direst of messages: "Will you please take my child?" she said, "I can't take care of her anymore." It was one of the many calls we received from people who thought that The Foster Agency was the home for foster care placement. We received so many calls to this effect that we had the number for foster care posted next to our phone.

At 15 years, a new name and a new office location

By 1995, we had moved into a new office home, and I felt we needed to update our brand to better reflect what we were doing at the time. We needed to change our name because we no longer were doing just typical ad agency things such as developing brochures and ads, but more strategic marketing communications such as branding, public relations and newfangled Internet marketing.

Thus, we changed our name to Foster Marketing Communications. It was nice, as this was the beginning of the dot-com age, and so our website URL was www.fostermarketing.com. Our overall logo look remained the same, but the type was changed to reflect the name change.

This gradual change of a corporate name to reflect the scope of a business was brought home to me recently in an article on the evolution of the branding for Federal Express.

As we've said many times, developing a name for a company or product is an aural, or hearing, exercise. A name is said; a logo is read. Thus, it was a natural evolution for the name Federal Express to be shortened to FedEx. We see (or hear) it all the time, even at Foster Marketing (where's the word "Communications"?). Names are shortened for convenience - AT&T, GM, etc.

The next iteration for FedEx was the acquisition of Kinko's in 2004, and the brand name became FedEx Kinko's. It took three years, until June 2008, for FedEx Kinko's to become FedEx Office, and there are still some stores and branding displaying FedEx Kinko's.

Change comes slowly when well-known brands are involved.

The future of Foster Marketing Communications

Now at 30 years, where is Foster Marketing Communications headed?

Well, first we've named a new President, Tiffany Harris. Tiffany was there at our 15th anniversary, fresh out of the University of Louisiana with lots of energy and enthusiasm.

She has grown from an Account Assistant to Executive Vice President, well-thought of by both clients and employees alike. And, she's helped Foster Marketing grow to become the largest oil and gas marketing communications firm in the world. The future of Foster Marketing is bright with Tiffany at the helm.

I'll remain as CEO, or Chief Exposure Officer, and help us build our brand in the oil and gas and other energy-related fields. Building your brand in these days of Internet marketing is even more important with the need to increase your online presence.

Second, we want to remember our roots ... what got us here in the first place - hard work, persistence, honesty, valuing our professionals, superior client service and, yes, top-notch creativity. It is a common fact that many B2B marketers stay the path of the traditional and in-the-box techniques. To create a competitive edge to your business marketing, you need to add some creative thinking and opportunities to attract and engage prospects and customers.

Third, the best way to do that is to call Foster Marketing.

Lafayette Office: 337-235-1848 • 713-522-9764
Houston Office: 281-448-3435

TIFFANY HARRIS NAMED PRESIDENT OF FOSTER MARKETING

Tiffany Harris has been named
President at Foster Marketing Communications, succeeding
company founder George Foster,
who will remain as Chief Executive Officer.

Foster Marketing Communications is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2010, and Harris has been an integral part of the firm since 1995. Foster Marketing specializes in business-to-business marketing, advertising and public relations and is the world leader in oil and gas marketing communications. The firm is based in Lafayette with an office in Houston and clients throughout the world.

Harris began her career at Foster Marketing as an Account Assistant and then progressed to become Media Planner, Account Executive, Vice President and Executive Vice President before assuming her current position.

Harris has distinguished herself in several areas while at Foster Marketing, including her expertise in trade show and event planning, her strategic and service-oriented account management acumen and her new business development skills.

"This is a natural evolution for Tiffany. She has been an integral part of the growth of Foster Marketing," said Foster. "Her marketing, management and client skills, along with an unbridled enthusiasm for her chosen profession, make her the perfect choice for this new role."

FOSTER MARKETING FOCUSES ON THE FUTURE

Foster Marketing Communications recently held its 13th annual Foster Fest retreat and summer meeting during a trip to New Orleans, La.

Staff from Foster Marketing's offices in Lafayette and Houston attended the retreat, which included meetings focused on the future of the company and expanding on plans to help the company continue to grow and improve.

Tony Mikes, the founder and President of Second Wind, an organization of more than 800 advertising agencies, was the retreat's guest speaker and discussion moderator. Mikes provided an outside perspective on the agency to help the company identify goals and strategies for the future.

>> CLICK HERE to read more about what's happening at Foster Marketing.

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LET US HELP WITH
YOUR NEXT PROJECT

Email Jamie Efurd or call 337-235-1848 or 281-448-3435 to schedule a meeting with Foster Marketing to discuss how we can help integrate and enhance your marketing program.

Foster Marketing Communications offers marketing, advertising, public relations, trade show and event coordination and digital media solutions. We've served the oil and gas industry for more than 30 years.

"The Oilfield is Our Field."