Why Piko?

The second in my ‘Why’ series is about my company Piko. A group of us formed Piko in early 2016 in Aotearoa/New Zealand. In September 2017 I expanded Piko into London.

So why the name?

Piko is a Māori word which means to bend or curve.Piko was a road address for one of our directors at the time we formed the company. Much of our work is about helping our clients run campaigns for change, or to refocus clients strategic aims. Thus the name seemed appropriate.

But why did we form Piko?

The founding directors had worked in political parties, government departments, trade unions, Iwi organisations and private sector companies. One of the issues we had found in running campaigns is that often knowledge from successful projects or campaigns weren’t shared. We had run successful political campaigns within our various organisations. We wanted to build a company that helped organisations develop their capability so they can achieve their strategic goals or campaign outcomes.

Piko provides an opportunity for individuals to broaden their experiences and develop in their careers. It is very easy to end up in a certain sector or organisation, and soon find you only get opportunities to work in that area. Piko offers the opportunity to work across the public and private sector. To run campaigns for unions, charities, NGO’s and other not for profits, but also for political parties or businesses. We want people to develop their skills and capability, and not be limited by siloed organisation or sector thinking.

Much of our work has involved helping organisations run successful social media and digital campaigns. We are not a digital or social media company. We are a company that helps organisations run successful campaigns or promotions, and social media is one of the tools in the kit.

Why expand the business form New Zealand to London?

This why is addressed in the previous post. In the context of Piko’s overall business strategy campaigns and projects are often run across national boundaries. The UK retains strong connections with New Zealand, but also is a larger and more complex market in many ways. Both countries have much they can learn from each other, and Piko’s expansion in the UK can help facilitate this.