Michael Foster

Brand builder. Founder of Straight Forward Design. Turning intangible brand value into growth you can see. Building Brands people find, understand, love & live.

[Michael Foster @SF_MikeFoster]

The most dangerous sentence in brand management: "we've done this before." Because often you have. Your customers haven't. https://t.co/uNIr9eC9bX

[Michael Foster @SF_MikeFoster]

The drinks industry keeps saying Gen Z doesn't drink.
The data says they do — just differently.
They're not sober. They're selective.
And that's not a volume problem. It's a brand problem.
New piece:
https://t.co/J04oU7tIyh

[Michael Foster @SF_MikeFoster]

I haven’t been on a hotel holiday for years. This trip reminded me why. It starts with a beer, and ends with a brand question: What happens when you design for the customer you imagine, not the one who shows up? Every brand has a beer list.
Checkyours. https://t.co/CS8sFg94dm

[Michael Foster @SF_MikeFoster]

A quick thought on all inclusive greed and waste. https://t.co/2OAm53S25A

[Michael Foster @SF_MikeFoster]

Just finished Careless People.

An excellent read. Sharp, entertaining and, underneath it all, pretty damning.

It captures what happens when growth outpaces wisdom and power lands in careless hands.

Come for the wit. Stay for the horror.

[Michael Foster @SF_MikeFoster]

Natural Is Just a Claim. The next phase of food growth needs to be actively better. Time to get Regenerative https://t.co/pkAijOIHpV

[Michael Foster @SF_MikeFoster]

Backing a chart is safer than backing an opinion.
That's how leadership quietly becomes compliance.
https://t.co/3dzYV3R8WU

[Michael Foster @SF_MikeFoster]

Natural is now table stakes. Discover why regenerative is becoming food's new luxury credential—and why the brands investing now will define the category. https://t.co/KDWwdozyrs

[Michael Foster @SF_MikeFoster]

@stratechery Enjoyed this, Ben. Kept thinking of Iain M. Banks’ Player of Games: With the Culture as a post-scarcity future where Minds do the hard bits and humans still value humans (provenance, community, beauty). Feels like a neat lens on your “humans want humans” point.

[Michael Foster @SF_MikeFoster]

3 seconds on screen. Zero marketing spend. 5x sales increase.
A Taylor Swift wine moment that's actually a masterclass in brand-first thinking.
https://t.co/HwjQ02ninF

[Michael Foster @SF_MikeFoster]

Full piece 👇
https://t.co/CB5FhqVapQ

[Michael Foster @SF_MikeFoster]

Most businesses wait until they can afford brand.

Jesse Cole did the opposite.

With $30 for groceries, an air mattress in a garage, and seven figures of debt — he spent money he didn’t have on a logo.

Not marketing.
A brand decision.

[Michael Foster @SF_MikeFoster]

Here’s the part most frameworks miss:

Brand power ≠ pricing power.

The Bananas charge less, remove revenue streams, give games away for free — and still have extraordinary power.

Because brand isn’t a tax.
It’s a decision-making advantage.

[Michael Foster @SF_MikeFoster]

"The biggest risk for brands in 2026 isn't being replaced by AI.
It's being exposed by it.
Because AI will show which brands never stood for much in the first place.
https://t.co/5npLfyVyMq

[Michael Foster @SF_MikeFoster]

Attention Is Rented. Rituals Are Owned. https://t.co/SkAsHF56L9

[Michael Foster @SF_MikeFoster]

Buying in the Chat Window — Finally, Digital Discovery? https://t.co/uODnPN2pS0

[Michael Foster @SF_MikeFoster]

Check out my latest article: Why Adobe’s Contempt Created Its Competitors https://t.co/UM5jLlrZ1r via @LinkedIn

[Michael Foster @SF_MikeFoster]

TIME ranked Crocs alongside asbestos as one of the worst inventions ever! Now $4 billion in revenue from being unapologetically ugly.
https://t.co/6pkTrRG750

[Michael Foster @SF_MikeFoster]

Brands with <2% market share are stealing 39% of growth. Is the reason Founder Energy? https://t.co/MEe0EIk8oC via @LinkedIn