Kelsey Whitmeyer, Event & Account Associate
A lot can happen in 40 years. Four whole decades … of popular culture, marketing and industry trends and company growth. As we embark on this new decade, Foster Marketing will be celebrating our 40th year in business as a full-service marketing communications firm.
Looking back at 1980, when Foster Marketing CEO, George, founded The Foster Agency there was:
- No Internet.
- No Facebook.
- No Twitter.
- No smart phones.
- No electric cars.
- No Millennials.
Times are certainly changing. Competing for mind share and attention is harder than ever. Making a lasting impression when everyone is trying to go “viral” and to be portrayed as an “influencer” in the digital age is difficult. Social media marketing has become 24/7; thought leadership and trust in a brand are now built around video testimonials; and smartphones have become integrated into everyday life.
Here’s a look at the past four decades – many of which have made a lasting impression on me. I bet you’ll find that many of them have made a lasting impression on you, too.
1980s
The very beginning of this decade marks the year Foster Marketing was born (and so was big hair, neon colors and leotards with tights and leg warmers).
In the 1980s, marketing got personal. Marketing experts began to see sales as building relationships instead of one-time transactions. In addition to Relationship Marketing, Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM) became vital. Interactions with potential customers became tracked to follow up with what is now called “the customer lifecycle” making it easy to see the progress from cold prospect to buyer or client.
“Guerrilla Marketing” was also a popular trend during this time, using shock and originality to promote a product or service with very little budget.
Can anyone even solve this thing? In the early 1980s, the Rubik’s Cube became one of the most popular games in America. Initially released as the “Magic Cube” in Hungary in late 1977, it was remanufactured and released in the western world as the Rubik’s Cube in 1980.
Before the iPhone, iPod, MP3 player and even the Discman, there was the Sony Walkman. Your biggest fear with your Walkman was it “eating” your tape. Before DVDs and Blu-ray discs, there were VHS (Video Home System) tapes. Throughout “The Blockbuster Era”, it was somewhat of a chore to rewind your movie after watching it to avoid getting hit with return fees.
Industry Happenings – According to InflationData.com, the annual average domestic crude oil price per barrel in 1989 was $18.33. The 1980s saw the crude oil collapse of 1986 and rig counts and employment in the U.S. oil and gas sector took a dive.
1990s
Among the craze of popular boy bands such as NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys, The Foster Agency became Foster Marketing Communications in 1995. The annual average price of domestic crude oil in 1995 was $16.75 per barrel.
In this decade, a marketing idea was born that altered the Internet forever: SEO (Search Engine Optimization). SEO changed Google search for companies seeking an edge for the better, urging them to try and rank a product or service at the top of Google’s search results. “Spam” and all that we dislike about it also became introduced in this decade.
In addition to NSYNC’s dreamy Justin Timberlake, ‘Run, Forrest, Run!’ became a phrase people just couldn’t not say when they saw someone running … and it was all thanks to the 1994 American comedy-drama classic Forrest Gump, featuring Tom Hanks.
2000s
The year 2000 was the last year of the 20th century, and marked the 1st year of the 2000s decade. Everyone was scared about Y2K which proved to be a flop. The early 2000s saw Foster Marketing Communications open a Houston office and focus entirely on the oil and gas industry. The annual average price of domestic crude oil in 2000 was $27.39 per barrel.
In 2003, MySpace, an American social networking website offering an interactive, user-submitted network of friends, personal profiles, blogs, photos, music and videos, was launched. We were all Tom’s friend.
With the new millennium came a huge milestone for marketing: the birth of social media. The Internet became more personal than ever, and customers began to have access to information and communication like never before. Companies had to rethink their approach to marketing promotion since most companies they were competing with were beginning to leverage the power of social media.
In the early 2000s, the first version of the iPod was released. Fast-forward to 2007 and the first ever iPhone was released by Apple. The iPhone’s appeal was the fact that data could now be accessed and controlled by the touch of your fingertips; faster than ever.
Growing up, MTV reality shows were the thing to watch when getting home from school. Popular series like “My Super Sweet Sixteen", “Next”, “Punk’d” and “Cribs” made after-school snacks even better. The 2002 MTV Video Music Awards stand out as an iconic year because of Britney Spears’ and Justin Timberlake’s matching all-denim outfits that became a fashion staple of the decade (… although I’m not sure why).
2010s
In 2010, now Foster Marketing celebrated its 30th year in business. Tiffany Harris was named President and George Foster became Chief Executive Officer. We entered the decade as the world leader in oil and gas marketing communications. The annual average price of domestic crude oil in 2010 was $71.21 per barrel.
Infographics became a popular digital marketing tool in 2010. With the launch of the iPhone in 2007 and Pinterest in 2010, the digital world was starting to look more vertical. In addition, Instagram (my personal favorite) was founded in 2010. Instagram opened up a world full of “double taps” and opportunities to brag on photos you’ve taken. Today, according to Hootsuite, the app has more than one billion users and is the second most-downloaded free app in the app store.
From the iPod to the iPhone, Apple introduced the iPad, a tablet computer, to the market in the 2010s. Again, data at the touch of your fingertips.
All you fellow Game of Thrones lovers are aware that the 2010s were a decade dedicated to this medieval fantasy epic. In 2013, the HBO series aired the ‘Red Wedding’ Episode as the season three finale of ‘GoT’. According to mashable.com, the episode was HBO’s most social episode for any show in the history of the network, with more than 700,000 mentions on Twitter, Facebook, blogs, news sites and forums.
In 2014, the #ALSIceBucketChallenge took over social media in an effort to help raise money and awareness for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Challenge takers were required to dump a bucket of ice water over their head or donate to the ALS Association, then nominate someone else to do the same.
From “Ugly Christmas Sweater” parties to Carpool Karaoke with James Corden and Lady Gaga’s “meat dress” made entirely of raw beef at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, pop culture trends of the decade kept things interesting to say the least.
READY FOR A NEW DECADE
As I’m sure you’ve noticed, not all trends last. Just like the industry, popular culture, marketing and companies change constantly and evolve into something new and — more often than not — better. There’s always something better. Sure, 2016 and 2017 were rough years for the oil and gas industry, but 2019 proved that there’s always a silver lining as we’ve seen some improvement in the offshore market.
Thankfully, Foster Marketing has followed suite as the industry, popular culture and marketing and all that it encompasses have adapted to change. It’s our job to stay on top of trends … and we wear that well. It’s a new decade; now is the time to embrace change!
Get in touch with the Foster Marketing team today to make sure your marketing efforts are in line with what’s to come in 2020!