PSFK
| PSFK | |
| Limited Liability Company | |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Founder | Piers Fawkes |
| Headquarters | New York, New York, United States |
Number of locations | 1 |
Area served | International |
Key people |
Piers Fawkes (CEO) Hedyeh Parsia (COO) Scott Lachut (Director of Research and Strategy ) Peter Surrena (Creative Director ) |
| Services | Market Intelligence, Conferences |
| Owner | Piers Fawkes |
Number of employees | 15 |
| Website |
www |
|
Footnotes / references [1][2] | |
PSFK is an American media company located in New York, New York. The company follows and reports on trends.
History
PSFK examines trends in major corporations. The company does research for corporate clients to determine trends and consumer behaviors. PSFK has tracked consumer data through smartphones and other mobile devices for clients. It was founded by Piers Fawkes in 2004. The name is from the mixed initials of Piers Fawkes and co-founder Simon King.[3] Fawkes ran his own website with a blog. He relocated from London to New York and started covering technology and other trends on his blog, which formed the basis for PSFK.[1] He worked as a dog walker and other odd-jobs until he started his startup.[2] His first client was Anheuser-Busch. They had seven employees as of 2011. Clients include Coca-Cola, Target Corporation, BMW and Procter & Gamble.[1]
In 2009, PSFK created a list of the top 10 most "inspirational brands," which included Google, Apple, Zipcar, and other major consumer companies. They gathered the list by reviewing the blogs that PSFK had written over a period of time and then had a panel of specialists review the subjects to create the list.[4] They publish The Future of Retail annually, which covers trends and documentation about retail sales.[1] Trends they have reported on include cyborgs, which they believe will become a commonality in technology by 2017.[5]
In 2011, PSFK partnered with former Vice President Al Gore's Climate Reality Project to host a competition seeking video games that could help combat climate change. The results of the partnership were announced at a "Gaming for Good" salon in New York City. The idea grew out of a PSFK report on "The Future of Gaming."
The majority of their revenue comes from consulting, with the rest coming from conferences, special events, and advertising. The company offices are located on Bond Street in New York City.[1] As of 2013, the company has 15 employees.[2]
Reception
Fortune called PSFK a "21st-century re-boot" of McKinsey & Company. However, "despite its impressive client list and growing capabilities it's unlikely that PSFK will threaten McKinsey".[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Vella, Matt. "Meet the future of consulting". Fortune. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
- 1 2 3 Groth, Aimee. "The Best Way To Test Yourself Is To Start From Nothing". Business Insider. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
- ↑ "PSFK definition". Fullforms.com.
- ↑ Patel, Kunur. "PSFK Ranks Top Inspirational Brands". Ad Age. Advertising Age. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
- ↑ Kender, David. "Implantable technology will get under our skin". USA Today. Gannett. Retrieved 31 July 2014.