Justin Foster Unfiltered

This is what happens when you remove the filters between my brain and my mouth.
About Me

By day-light (and often at night) I run Tricycle Brand Development with good friend and reality show reject John Hardesty (@johnhardesty on Twitter). If you want to sample our branding brilliance, go to www.thetricycle.com. I have also been accused/recognized as a Social Media vigilante; exposing those that pee in the digital pool. I'm married to Jesus' sister, Lynna - the most amazing, beautiful woman ever. I have two sons who are way more talented, good-looking, and kinder than me. I love all things football, especially coaching. My iPod looks like it belongs to 20 people, but am mostly a fan of Texas Country. I am an "original Christian", pursuer of Truth, and a loud opponent of the two-party system that has bankrupted our country. My political views can be summarized by this: I want conservatives running the economy, foreign policy, and education; libertarians running law enforcement; and liberals running arts and entertainment.

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Complete my 1 question survey and all your wildest dreams will come true.

One way to listen is a short survey.  This is just a one question survey.  

What is one thing you wish you could change about your business?

Reply in the comments section or if you don't want to give a public answer, e-mail me at justin@thetricycle.com or DM me on Twitter (@brandmilitia).

Thanks!

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Comments (2)
Posted 4 days ago by Justin Foster 

Does your business have a gong?

This pic was taken in the lobby of Ted Mason Homes in Boise, Idaho. Most businesses have a bell with a sign that says "Please ring bell for service." They have a gong with a sign that reads: "Please ring gong for service. Don't be shy!"

This nails #2 (Be Interesting) of my 5 Stupidly Simple Ideas. It is unexpected, quirky, and interactive. Having worked with them on their brand strategy, I see these same traits manifested in their homes, relationships, etc. Every business could have their version of the gong. What's yours?
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

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Posted 5 days ago by Justin Foster 

5 Stupidly Simple Ideas that even Lloyd Christmas could implement.

via thetricycle.com

I had the privilege of speaking at the Ultra Clean Smoke Out today. The main sponsor was Action Courier. It was great to hear their story and see the passion they have for their business and serving others. Also a great taco bar from Taco Time and coffee/tea provided by University of Phoenix. The Thornton Oliver Keller team did nice job of tossing the beans, rice, and cheese!  As always, Brandon Wright and his team were awesome.

My topic was "5 Stupidly Simple Ideas". I figured they were blog worthy, so here ya go.  http://thetricycle.com/2009/11/5-stupidly-simple-ideas/#

Note the link on #5 (Make a Deal). This is for our "One Audience Business Initiative" - a 30 day program that will help a business uncover under-served or under-sold audiences.

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Posted 6 days ago by Justin Foster 

Hunch.com on how food preferences vary by ideology (via Fast Company)

via fastcompany.com

It would be interesting to break this down by independents, libertarians, and anarchists as well.

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Posted 11 days ago by Justin Foster 

Elizabeth Lambert - the Brandon Spikes of women's soccer.

via youtube.com

The video speaks for itself!

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Posted 15 days ago by Justin Foster 

Dr. Coke? Coca-Cola to sponsor health advice from AAFP

 
Today's "what were they thinking?" story ...


 http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,571930,00.html?test=latestnews#

In short, Coca Cola is becoming a sponsor of The American Academy of Family Physicians.  According to the article, "the deal will fund educational materials about soft drinks for the academy's consumer health and wellness Web site, www.FamilyDoctor.org".

The conflict of interest is stunningly obvious.  What's next?  Anheuser Busch sponsoring AA? 

Individual people make stupid decisions all of the time - some of which get amplified in the social space.  However, when an organization does something stupid, it takes a committee.  Did anyone with authority speak up?   "Ummm, this seems like a stupid idea".  

 

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Posted 19 days ago by Justin Foster 

Interesting grassroots campaign for CASAforChildren.org

The park in front of the capitol building in Boise is covered with life size cut-outs of children holding cardboard signs promoting foster care. Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

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Posted 1 month ago by Justin Foster 

iContact personifies 3 keys to modern marketing.

Modern branding/marketing has 3 elements: simplicity, personalization, and inexpensive execution.   Below is an e-mail I received from iContact.  It contains all 3 elements.  Of course, none of these would work if their product sucks.  But it doesn't.  It is a cool, easy-to-use product.  

If your marketing doesn't have these 3 elements, why not?



iContact

Thank You!

Dear Justin,

Thank you! We really, really mean it. You’ve been with us for quite a while now and it does not go unnoticed. At iContact, we understand the value of our customers. We’re very happy to have you as a loyal customer and hope you will be with us for years to come.

Everyone here at the iContact office does everything we can to support you, your account, and your business as best as possible.

We would like to make sure that you’re still happy with your iContact account. If you need anything, please see the bottom of this email to find all the services and support options you have in case you ever have any questions.

Once again, thank you so much for continuing to use iContact for your email marketing campaigns. Without a doubt, we appreciate your business.

Gratefully yours,



The iContact Family



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Posted 1 month ago by Justin Foster 

"Judgment Versus Experience" - 30 seconds w/ Mike Rowe (via Fastcompany)

via fastcompany.com

Mike Rowe, the host of Discovery's "Dirt Jobs", provides 30 seconds of wisdom on judgement v experience. Mike is my kind of philosopher - a hands-on guy who appreciates the contribution of individuals regardless of their societal "status".

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Posted 1 month ago by Justin Foster 

6 Billion Channels

On November 6, I'm honored to be the guest presenter for George Fox University's Speaker Series.  You can get more details and RSVP here.  

My topic is "Relevance 2.0:  5 Must-Know Trends to Stay Relevant".  I thought it would be useful to write a brief blog post about each of the trends. 

Trend #1:  6 Billion Channels.  

Think about this ... a single person with a camera phone can post video, photos, and written content to a blog, Facebook, Twitter, and hundreds of other web platforms.  This content, depending how viral it is, can spread to hundreds or thousands of other people. Now combine that times billions.  What happens to the influence and reach of traditional media when The People become The Media?  It profoundly effects the way We the People consume information and entertainment.  This is not just disruptive to media business models such as selling ad space based on eye-balls.  It changes the rules for what "news" is, what a brand is, message control, the roles of government, and more.  Properly harnessed, it can make a young company the world's #1 brand without spending a dime on advertising (Google) or it can lead to the demise of established brands and traditions.  

So what do you when everyone that touches your brand (both business and personal) has the means and the motivation to talk about you?  

 
Twitter:http://twitter.com/brandmilitia
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JustinFoster
LinkedIn:  http://www.linkedin.com/in/agencyunderground

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Posted 1 month ago by Justin Foster