Justin Foster Unfiltered

31 Dec 2009

My 2010 Un-Predictions

I'm not big on predictions. I like to read about predictions. I just suck at predicting things: football games, elections, etc. Yet I have a strong compulsion to do some sort of 2010 list. So I decided to do some un-predictions: things I am very confident will come true, because they involve my behavior and thinking.

1) I will focus more on working with specific kinds of people not projects. Interesting, innovative, forward thinking, high integrity, etc.

2) I will be teaching clients the art of authenticity; that being real and getting real are differentiators.

3) I will do more listening and less talking. More questions and less unsolicited answers.

4) I won't pitch, beg, or lower my standards to get new clients.

5) I will not conform for the sake of fitting in or getting along.

6) I will purge my vocabulary of impersonal marketing terms; ie "target audience".

7) I will strive to see people as God sees them. Not as a mass, but as individuals - each with a story.

8) I will continue to be critical of politicians but won't disparage their office.

9) I will continue to expose frauds in the marketing industry- especially "social media gurus".

10) I will love more.

I guess this is really more of a resolution list- but I prefer to think of it as list of predictions that I have 100% control over.

Happy 2010!

29 Dec 2009

"Soldier's Impact" video redux: The next wave of American business owners.

via youtube.com

Yes, I already tweeted about this and posted it on Facebook. And yes, this is a project that John and I are helping to promote. However, some things are worthy of being re-posted for the sake of emphasis - and for the importance of the message/intent. Such is the case with this video.

For us history buffs, you can trace every American economic growth period directly back to a soldier. Not just for what they did on the battlefield, but what they did when they got home.

Civil war veterans helped turn America in to the bread-basket of the world.

WWII and Korea veterans created a generation of entrepreneurs and innovators.

Look behind the the economic growth of the 80s and you will find Vietnam War vets who became business owners.

The same thing happened after the Gulf War - and in those periods of "peace" in between the wars and conflicts.

Now, it is this generation's turn. As the video says, "They defend our freedom. Now they will save it".

So watch it. Forward it. Post it. Even disagree with it. Just please don't ignore it.

23 Dec 2009

Just in time for Christmas: A Man's Guide to Personal Branding (new post)

If I would have written this post sooner, it would have made a fantastic Christmas list.

Disclaimer:

This post is written for men. If it offends you or makes you feel a little shame - then good. Shame is a great motivator. Ladies - please give me your insights and additional rules on this topic. Oh - and please forward to the men in your life

Here's the deal ...

Most of us aren't George Clooney or Ashton Kutcher. Most of us are just trying to work with what we've got. But that doesn't give any of us an excuse to suck. Assuming you want to be accountable for your own brand, your goal should be to be your version of the best.

With that in mind, here is my definitive guide to personal branding for men:

Have some style: Dressing nice doesn't make you a Nancy-boy. Dressing nice means you give a crap about your appearance. This means that you aren't afraid to stand out a little bit. Wear some pink. Buy some cool shoes. Get clothes that fit. Find your own style. In a breakfast spread, no one should be the oatmeal.
Buy a nose-hair trimmer: This summarizes the entire first impressions/personal grooming category. In this category includes: trimming your eye-brows, checking your nose and eyes for boogers, checking your teeth after you eat, make sure your fly isn't open ... you get the picture.
Join Toastmasters: Fear of public speaking isn't a fear - it's an excuse. At least learn how to string together some clear thoughts in a smooth, affable way. Your personal brand depends on your ability to communicate clearly, concisely ... at any given moment. If you don't know how to do this, the best thing you could ever do is join Toastmasters. Real men don't use tele-prompters.
Get Published: Most of us are experts on something. So prove it. Write a book. Start a blog. Shoot some videos. Stop acting like your knowledge belongs to someone else and start using it to grow your brand.
Become a Renaissance Man: Knowing a little bit about everything comes in handy. It means you can be interesting in any conversation. We men spend a lot of time in the bathroom, so get one of those bathroom books full of trivia.
Don't be Nice: Nice is not a brand. Nice is wimpy and weak. Jerk beats nice EVERY time. But jerks are ... well, jerks. Instead, be kind. Kindness is bold and pro-active. People don't remember nice - they remember kind.
Get in shape: I've been varying degrees of fat for about 20 years. Thanks to my own commitment and the help of others, I'm in the best shape of my life. I still have long way to go, but I have noticed the impact of losing weight on my brand. First, people notice - and getting noticed is part of branding. Bigger than that (pun intended) is that it shows that you are taking yourself seriously.
Get real with people: Purge your vocabulary of cliches. Start telling people what you really think. Stop worrying about what other people think. Be a good listener. Be honest every time. These are all elements of "getting real".
Be a COIN: A COIN is a Center of Influence. This means getting to know people with the attitude of "how can I help you?" - not "what can I sell you?" By constantly looking out for the interests of others, you become an influencer. This means you are not just a trusted advisor, but a true friend.
Think Public v Private NOT Business v Personal: This rule is really a summary of all of the other 9 rules. The concept of compartmentalization (of separating work and personal) was already becoming a dated concept - then social media came along and made everything personal. So be prepared to live a transparent life on-line and off-line. Stop letting your job or technical skills define you and start letting YOU define you.

Finally, remember this: CONFORMITY IS NOT A BRAND.

I would challenge that no one is born a conformist. Conformity is learned - probably in school. It is reinforced by cubicle farms and dress codes. Conformity is really just fear; a fall-back position for men that don't have the confidence to be themselves. So start there.

22 Dec 2009

Excuse me, there's something in your teeth.

Just about every day, I get a Facebook friend request from a business using a personal profile page instead of a business profile page. I typically ignore them - but recently have been replying with this note:

Howdy. I'm not sending this e-mail to be intentionally grouchy or provocative, but using a personal profile page for a business isn't the right way to use Facebook. Two reasons: A) This is a violation of Facebook's terms of usage. They will shut your account down if they see it - and B) it makes you look kind of silly. I'm sure you are doing neither on purpose - thus the heads up. Consider it the social media version of me telling you that you have something in your teeth :) Hope you aren't offended. - Justin

I am truly trying to be helpful, but can see that the note could come across as arrogant or with the tone of a know-it-all.

So a question for you .. what do you in this situation?

22 Dec 2009

Navitopia Launch + Fiesta Bowl 100 Car Caravan

You must have flash to see this embedded document.

(download)

I wanted to give you a heads up about a company I just started working with as their contracted CMO. The company is Wiregroove. They are based here in the Boise-are. They are in the beta launch of social networking site called Navitopia. Navitopia is a simple concept based around ride sharing. It matches people with cars, with people needing a ride. Like any good social networking site, this is a reflection of off-line conversations that happen every day.

In a recent meeting with Boise State, the Wiregroove guys were asked if the site could be available for coordinating ride-sharing to the Fiesta Bowl. Wiregroove said "yes". Obviously this is a huge opportunity to launch the site around a high-profile event.

To support the launch, Navitopia is announcing a promotion called the "100 Car Caravan". For people already driving down there, it is a way to share costs. For people that don't have the wheels, it is a way to hitch a ride. It is completely free to register. To sweeten the pot, Navitopia is paying $25 to the first 100 people that register their cars - plus everyone that goes to the Fiesta Bowl via Navitopia is entered in to a drawing for $1000.

I have attached the official "media alert".

If you think the idea is cool and you'd like to support a local start-up, please help spread the word. In particular, any help getting the word out to BSU students, alum, and the media would be awesome.

Here are some links to know:

The Navitopia site: http://www.navitopia.com/

Details for the 100 Car Caravan Promotion: http://www.navitopia.com/fiestaBowlPromo.html/

Thanks for your help!

15 Dec 2009

What play-off college football looks like + my play-off system

via youtube.com

This is a great video re-cap of the University of Montana v Appalachian State play-off game from last week-end. Yes, I said play-off game. I will use this awesome game as a platform to state that the BCS is the college football equivalent of socialized medicine - and the whole issue could be resolved if there was the political/moral will to do so.

Do a search of D1 play-off options and you will find a million plans, but here is mine:

A play-off starts with conference winners from all D1 conferences. This would be 11 teams. Each conference would be allowed to nominate an additional team from their conference. From this, a selection committee made up equally of conference participants, would a) select 5 additional teams from the nominated and b) seed the teams according to a formula similar to the current BCS formula, but without the influence of voter ranking. #1 would play #16 and so on. This method is almost identical to the March Madness process which works very well.

The play-off games would use the existing bowl structure, with each bowl given the opportunity to bid for a play-off game. This would open it up to all bowls - and probably increase the revenue of the teams and conferences playing in those bowls.

The bowls and teams outside of the play-off system would go with the similar structure of conference affiliation. Using the H-bowl here in Boise as an example, Idaho and Bowling Green wouldn't have been in the 16 game tournament, so the H-Bowl is free to select the best teams available based on bowl affiliations. If bowl can't create an affiliation between two conferences, it will just have to go away.

This system would require several things:
- Big conference Presidents and ADs to pull their heads out of their butts and realize that "tradition" is just a fancy word for obsolete and greed.
- Notre Dame to join a conference - probably the Big 10 (which actually has 11 teams) which is trying to expand anyway.
- Each conference must have a conference championship. Right now, the Big 10, Pac 10, andWAC don't.
- They could keep the polls if they want, but they would be like the Queen of England - for pageantry purposes only. Again, this is similar to lower divisions in football.

Everybody gets paid, some tradition remains and we get games like the video posted - and a true national championship decided on the field.

I don't see any flaws, so it must be perfect :)

15 Dec 2009

Built-in coffee pot

This is cool. Not sure why, but my friends who have the office where the built-in say that everyone asks about it. Maybe it's the blend of design and functionality. Maybe its because its coffee. Whatever the reason, it accomplishes the first two rules of word-of-mouth: simple and unexpected. Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

11 Dec 2009

Everything is Personal (new post)

Studies show that top three reasons for divorce are: - Lack of communication
- Lack of intimacy - Lack of value This is because humans want to be heard, loved, and appreciated. As far as I know, every brand's buyer is a human. So doesn't it make sense that these principles apply in branding? For most, the answer is Yes! However, there are a few exceptions. Some people are intensely compartmentalized; keeping big walls between themselves and their purchase decisions. Then there is the one-night-stand crowd; only wanting the latest deal or offer. But for most of us, we do have an emotional connection in our business relationships. Especially when buying from a small business. The lesson? Get personal. Treat prospects and customers like the relationship they are. Listen to them. Stay in contact with them (not just to pitch them). Tell them you love them. Does this make you uncomfortable? Deal with it or quit complaining you don't have enough customers- this is new reality of branding. Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

11 Dec 2009

Death of a Salesman- Starring Tiger Woods (via Fast Company)

via fastcompany.com

Fast Company has an excellent and provocative assessment of the status of Tiger's brand. Before you shout "but this is a private matter!", it is good to remember that Tiger chose to be a brand. Not just with his endorsements, but his entire persona. So it is our business, because we bought what he was selling - literally and emotionally. A line from the Fast Company article says it best: "Brands exist in the mind of consumers that don't like being lied to".

Tiger made more than golf cool. He made focus, discipline, and hard work cool. Which leads to the question everyone is asking - why didn't he apply those same elements to his personal life?

I've been asked by a number of people what I would do to help Tiger's brand. The short answer is that I wouldn't help him (not that I'm waiting around for his agent to call me). In my book, re-branding is for brands that have lost their way, not self-destructed. I wouldn't help Tiger for the same reason I wouldn't help Qwest or United Airlines. In most cases, brands get exactly what they deserve.

As far as Tiger the human, he needs to ask himself one question. "Why did I do this?" The answer to that question will define his future as a person. This is a far more important issue than branding.

30 Nov 2009

Commuter-Friendly Office on Wheels Puts Bus in Business (via Fast Company)