This year, Foster Marketing is celebrating its 45th year in business! That’s a special anniversary by any account, and it honors our team's dedication, our clients' trust and all the partnerships that have helped us grow from a humble local startup to an international marketing communications/energy leader.
For us, this milestone isn't just about reflecting on the past. We’re not resting on our laurels! Now is the time to move full speed ahead toward our half-century mark as we take on the new digital and marketing challenges. Take a few minutes to see what’s driving us forward—our insights might inspire your journey, too.
What's Driving Success?
Nearly five decades in business have taught us something extraordinary: our success is fueled by adaptability, customer focus and a commitment to quality. Over the years, we’ve learned that our relationships with our customers defined our achievements. Our priority has always been to ensure that your experience with us remains unmatched. From day one, commitment to our customers’ success has been at the heart of everything we do. These values continue to guide us as we step into increasingly competitive markets—and they always will.
“It’s humbling to see my late-night dream with my wife and a part-time artist take root and grow into an international marketing firm and team that has blossomed over the past 45 years. I’m deeply proud of what we’ve built through hard work, honesty and integrity.” — Founder George Foster
What's Around the Bend?
As our industries, tools and tactics have changed, so have we. Foster has long been a champion of technology to inspire, be more efficient, hit new goals and spend our time where it counts. With this in mind, we will continue to employ data-driven insights to guide our decisions.
Today's technology allows us to not only monitor customer behavior but also identify emerging patterns that help us stay competitive. With emerging AI tools, we can create faster than ever before.
By focusing heavily on analytics, aligning our efforts with industry data and applying AI in the right ways, we will stay a step ahead while ensuring our customers' expectations are met or exceeded. And though there are a lot of changes ahead, some tenets will stay part of our culture.
Strategic planning is crucial to staying aligned with key goals. Foster Marketing has made its mark crafting strategic plans for clients that lead to business wins, be it new customers, entering a new market or timely acquisition. And we practice what we preach. Thanks to sound strategic planning, Foster grew from its downtown Lafayette, La., roots into a full-service, multi-location international marketing communications firm.
Customer needs evolve, and so must we. We grow with clients to ensure we have the expertise to best serve their emerging needs. Over the years, we've added to our team, our service offerings and our geographic footprint to ensure a successful experience for our clients. How has this affected our growth?
Throughout Foster Marketing's history, more than 90% of our business has come from referrals. We were getting rave reviews even before Google made it a benchmark!
Behind every milestone are the individuals who make it possible. Whether it was our 25th or 45th year, our team has kept growing, learning and broadening our expertise. We often say we Fosterize new hires, but what that really involves is encouraging them on their journeys to expand their knowledge, to strive for innovation and creativity, and hit their goals, both professionally and personally.
It's good for our team, customers, communities and business. And, while AI tools are becoming a standard usage, they will NEVER replace the human aspect of customer service, collaboration or building lasting relationships.
"This will be my 30th year as a member of the Foster family ... and what a ride! I'm blessed to be surrounded by amazing, dedicated and loyal people – founder, George Foster, colleagues, clients, and vendor-partners, who have shaped who I am now, as a professional and as a person.
“George, aka Dad #2, trusted me as his successor to carry on and build on what he started, and I’m committed to doing just that by investing, listening, learning, teaching, training and empowering the Foster Marketing team of today ... to be ready for tomorrow,” President and CEO (and Owner) Tiffany Harris.
Where Our Journey Began
Anniversaries like this one give us a unique opportunity to reflect on accomplishments while leaning into new opportunities. Our 45-year story wouldn’t have been possible without the loyalty of countless customers and partners over the decades. Since success is so much sweeter when shared, we say thank you to the countless clients and partners who have helped us grow. We will continue to prioritize that trust in the decades to come.
Part of Foster's culture has also included paying it forward. This milestone year, we continue this tradition with a commitment to community-focused initiatives, including charitable partnerships and participation in local events that bring people together. Making community stewardship a core business element is a win for everyone.
Our 45-year history is the foundation that shapes our future. What started as an ambitious idea in 1980 has flourished into an internationally known, multi-market, multi-location operation. And there were so many smaller victories that got us here, including:
- Opening our Houston location
- Opening our international office in the UK
- Winning our first major industry award
- Launching a community support commitment via donations, partnerships, leadership, and sponsorship scholarships.
But it all comes back to people, as the achievements we value most are the relationships we’ve built through trust, transparency and a shared vision.
Happy 45th to Us
Our 45-year milestone isn’t just an invitation to celebrate; it’s a call to action to keep innovating, inspiring and igniting new partnerships. To our customers, past and present, thank you for every moment of trust and collaboration along the way!
Stay tuned to what’s ahead by signing up for Fostering Ideas and following us on social media. We’d love to hear from you, so give us a shout on social!
