PSFK's PurpleList

As we prepare for PSFK’s CXI 018 in New York on May 18, we hit the archives for one of the inspiring talks from last year’s conference. When people think wearable tech, they think holographic headsets, smart glasses or tech-infused streetwear. Basically, the “a computer just threw up on me” look. It’s as if donning the most flashy VR headset is the rivalrous engine revving of today’s day and age. But what Wearable X Founder & CEO Billie Whitehouse has discovered is that consumers don’t actually care that much about tech or data, but rather about how these things makes them feel. Billie took to the stage at PSFK 2017 to discuss her new yoga pant line NadiX that can correct your form with directional haptic feedback and tell in real time what pose you’re in and how to improve it.

As we prepare for PSFK’s CXI 018 in New York on May 18, we hit the archives for one of the inspiring talks from last year’s conference. In this show,  Peloton Co-Founder Tom Cortese speaks about how Peloton aims to utilize the power of Web 2.0 to marry the comfort of home fitness to the high-energy engagement of celebrity-run classes.

In this show, we looks at how beauty brands are creating beauty offerings that appeal to health and environmentally-conscious consumers. Although the beauty industry has traditionally relied on a tried and tested formula for its product offerings, shifting consumer behaviors are mandating new ingredients, benefits and -ultimately – fresh products. Piers Fawkes, founder and editor-in-chief of PSFK, speaks to three entrepreneurs about the work they’re doing in the clean beauty space. First he speaks to Terence Chung, founder of Fruu cosmetics about how he built a new natural brand (from his home!!) after noticing that teenagers were applying synthetic materials to their face. He also talked to to Meika Hollender of Sustain Natural who is developing a new approach in the wellness space – especially around sexual health. And finally, he spoke to Tara Foley of Follain about the way they approach the development of products. The beauty industry seems to have taken a number of cues from the food industry. What else could other sectors learn from the changes taking place in these sectors? For more insights, check out our new research paper, a Fresh Look at Clean Beauty.

As we prepare for PSFK’s CXI 018 in New York on May 18, we hit the archives for one of the inspiring talks from last year’s conference. In this show, Ginkgo Bioworks‘ Creative Director Christina Agapakis explains how she believes that we have a revolution on our hands: to no longer take the power of biology for granted. Christina discussed the future of biotech at our PSFK 2017 conference, how the most amazing computer is actually inside of us and how drawing from the power of biology for human technology is where the real power resides.

For a number of years, brands and retailers have been looking to leverage new types of interactive technology in the store. Often, these have failed to really solve a problem for the shopper – or they have simply didn’t provide moments of surprise and delight. All too often, poor-performing retail tech seemed hurried to the backroom and quietly forgotten about. In this show, Piers Fawkes of PSFK explores how two innovators are still exploring the use of tech to deliver seamless retail and remove friction along the physical purchase path. First, he spoke to John Miller, the CEO of Cali Group which runs the Caliburger chain of restaurants. I spoke to him about his robo-staff and AI displays. Piers also spoke to marketing technologist Ethan Goodman of the Mars Agency who has been testing the use of voice-interactivity to help shoppers choose whiskies at a Bottlerocket store in NYC. We can’t tell if there’s a magic solution when it comes to use of tech but I do think retailers can only learn by trying and testing, failing and learning. It will be interesting to see how Ethan and John’s work progresses. To find out more about Seamless Retail there’s a research paper on our reports page at PSFK.com – or listen to our podcasts and read PSFK’s newsletter. 

As we prepare for PSFK’s CXI 018 in New York on May 18, we hit the archives for one of the inspiring talks from last year’s conference. In this show, behavioral psychologist Alexandra (Alex) Fine explains how she teamed up with product engineer Janet Lieberman to create sex toys that satisfy real women’s needs at Dame Products. Alex tell us about her mission to openly empower the sexual experiences of womankind.

In this show from August 2017, PSFKs Emily Wasik caught up with Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Sport CEO Mary Wittenberg at the world’s first press conference on the move to get the exclusive scoop on why they decided to combine the sweat of sport with the swagger of Virgin.  

At PSFK, we tried to join the conversation when the green movement emerged in the mid-2000s. We celebrated the new ideas that were being discussed  with articles about innovators and hosting talks by pioneers. A decade later and green as a concept hydra’d into multiple strands – sustainability, social impact, sourcing transparency, workers rights and on and on. It seems to us that there’s still much to do and that while we broaden the topic we spend less and less time looking at the ‘green’ approaches of companies and industries. In this show, PSFK founder Piers Fawkes talks to a pioneer who saw a misuse of the terms around sustainability and wanted to pioneer a new way for a brand to behave. After her career at Patagonia, Wanda Weller saw a confusing and misleading use of the term ‘organic’ in fabrics and she set out to build Alterra Pure, a new company focused on organic bedding. We find Wanda’s story compelling. She found a category that for many – and for me specifically – was invisible in our daily lives and she saw a need for change. We wonder how many other product categories could be disrupted for good? For more insights, there are a number of reports on sustainability and social impact on PSFK’s report page.

In this show originally recorded in October 2017, Emily Wasik caught up with Casper’s Director of Experiential Marketing Monica Brouwer to discuss on how Casper is building meaningful brand experiences by offering rescue moments one “Zzz” at a time.

Chat – whether that term includes apps, interfaces or bots – remains a hot topic for marketers and entrepreneurs. Increasingly fueled with artificial intelligence and complex algorithms, customer-experience designers and strategists have been looking at Chat as a tool for brands to interact with their customers in a human way on a massive scale. Sometimes this chat interface works, many times it doesn’t. But the interest in the interface remains. In this show, PSFK founder & editor-in-chief Piers Fawkes talks to entrepreneurs and experts who have been exploring the power of chat. Peter Rojas works as a VC at Betaworks in San Francisco and has a lengthy experience studying the tech sector. He spoke to Peter first because he wanted to get an insider’s point of view on the best use of chat as an interface. Justin Holland is an entrepreneur who runs HealthJoy where he is exploring how chat augments the human experience to deliver better connections with health insurance companies. In the show, Justin talks about how the chat bot Joy works and the impact it has on the user experience. The advertising agency BBDO also explored how chat could be used to connect with people in the right moment. During the episoder, creative director Joyce Pedretti explains why her team built a Messenger chat bot called Ida that helps people connect to charities and support groups as they scroll through Facebook posts. But when is chat the best tool to use and where do we go from him? To round out the conversation, Piers spoke to Amber Case – a digital anthropologist – who has been studying people’s interaction with chat and AI technology. So hopefully, in this show, we’ve provided you some different perspectives of the chat interface, AI and bots. At the right time, right place it seems to be a terrific medium for brands and consumers to interact – but it seems that we also have to remember the user’s context and the technology’s limitations. Let’s see what happens next – keep reading and listening to PSFK.

From pop-up shops to live entertainment, consumers want to collect experiences—and there’s no better way to do so than by traveling. In this episode, PSFK team members Piers Fawkes and Isabella Alimonti talk to industry experts about the trends influencing travel at every stage of the journey. Travelers are increasingly looking for something extra—whether it’s a tech-enabled home away from home, programs that help them meet their wellness goals, or an insider’s taste of the place they’re visiting. PSFK spoke to Toni Stoeckl, Global Brand Leader and VP at Marriott, about crafting hotel experiences that speak to the lifestyles of every consumer. Then, we chatted with Roam Fitness co-founder Ty Manegold about making the most of our time in transit with wellness and convenience services. What are the biggest trends shaping the future of travel? For more information on this topic, check out PSFK’s Travel Debrief, available now.

As we seek new innovation to deploy in retail, sometimes we spend too much time looking at what other US companies are trying to roll out. Because of market size, geographic constraints and even language barriers, unique retail ideas develop in European and Asian markets first. In the latest PSFK podcast, Founder and Editor-In-Chief Piers Fawkes talks to experts about the importance of looking beyond borders. First I spoke to Zia Daniell Wigder from the Shoptalk team on what we should expect at their conference in March. (Shoptalk is arguably the most important retail event on the planet). Then to round out the themes Zia was speaking about, I also connected with our retail columnist Winston Wright. Winston is an experienced brand and retail designer who has worked on pioneering retailer projects including the Apple Store. So maybe its time to dust off that passport – or maybe you just need to buy a ticket to Shoptalk. Or just make sure you read and listen to PSFK to find out the latest in retail and consumer experience innovation.

As our living arrangements evolve, so do the relationships that we have with the animals we bring in to our homes. In this show, PSFK Founder and Editor-In-Chief Piers Fawkes explores how trends impacting human lives are also influencing the pet space. To help set some context, he speaks to David Cunningham of VisioCap whose investment firm specializes in the pet sector. After speaking to  David, Piers also wanted to talk to some pioneers at the forefront of innovation in the pet sector. So he connected with Ed Hall who founded the pet-tracking system Petrics and  Yaroslav Azhnyuk, the CEO of a hardware start-up that creates Petcubes. So how will all this health engineering, wellness tracking and customized meals develop? Check out this research paper on Pet Trends for more insights.

In this episode, PSFK founder Piers Fawkes talks to food, diet and dining experts to help him understand how the way we eat at home is changing – and the knock on effect that has on restaurants and retail. Firstly, I speak about change to the chef Nicholas Morgenstern who is rolling out a ice-cream retail concept. Then I speak to Robin Liss, an entrepreneur who is launching Suvie, a kitchen robot that she thinks reflects new trends in meals in the home. Finally, I speak to Heather Cutter who runs innovation at Habit – a company providing diet recommendations based on people’s DNA. So will we all be eating highly personalized meals prepared with a technological kitchen assistant and how will this dynamic approach to using ingredients impact the retail and delivery chain? Lets see what happens next by reading and listening to PSFK.

Is experience back in fashion? Do older folks provide us with a higher-level of culture, community and creativity? And will they save us from Millennials while we wait for Gen Z to arrive?? ;) In this show, Piers Fawkes of PSFK investigates the value of age as he talks to David Stewart, the co-founder of media company Ageist which celebrates the pursuits of the over 50s, and he follows this up by speaking to thought-leader Colin Beavan about living well throughout our whole life.