Curating the right team
With 21 years of experience in the industry, it’s fair to say we’ve not always got it right. In the last few years, we’ve really worked on ourselves – taking the same journey we take our clients on and looking inwardly to pinpoint exactly what makes Spark, Spark.
We developed five key principles that sit at the very heart of what we do – doing the right thing, curating the right team, developing partnerships not projects, thinking about what’s possible and always putting people first.
The focus of this blog is on curating the right team – something we feel hugely passionate about. Once upon a time, an agency would have all their experts in-house, but as a boutique agency it’s impossible to staff up for every eventuality. In order to remain agile we work with our little black book of suppliers, meticulously curated over our history and giving us a team that can flex and change depending on our client’s requirements. Each project is as unique as the team who works on it so we ask ourselves ‘what’s the right fit’? and then bring together the best team to nail it!
Of course, at the heart of the business is our core in-house team, but this network of collaborators allows us to maintain our promise to be constantly relevant, relentlessly engaging, and utterly unstoppable.
A game changer for us has been the recruitment of Neil Mason, Associate Head of Strategy. Neil helped us to develop our own brand strategy, including the principles outlined above, but he has also created stand-out strategies for several of our clients this year too. His experience in developing solid brand strategies based on insight is vast and his expertise has elevated Spark to another level.
Another new face for 2022 is our hugely talented Associate Head of Marketing, Chloe Lowe. Her experience in marketing across multiple industries has allowed us to strategise for clients in a way we’ve never been able to do before.
When it comes to production, we work with Dead Pixel and Paragon Pictures, and for our PR needs, we turn to HuHa. Our CGI requirements are met by Cool Breed who have created some real stand out pieces for our clients over the last 12 months. We also have a huge bank of creatives, copywriters, photographers and illustrators that plug in seamlessly as and when they’re needed.
Curating the right team for the client as well as the project, and responding to the brief in the right way is crucial to success. Our Account Director, Cally, comments:
“I always challenge my own thoughts and our internal infrastructure before embarking on a project to get the optimum skill sets involved, whether that be internal, external or a mix of both. The way we work today means we never have to make do with what we’ve got, the perfectly curated team does exist.”
“Agencies need to be more flexible and adaptable in order to expand reach and respond more effectively to briefs, and so we bring in experts as and when a project requires us to. We have an expanse of trusted friends and partners who we see as an extension to the team and love working with.”
We truly value close collaboration and human connection with each other, other clients and our suppliers. The relationships we foster carry these same values, enabling us to remain flexible and responsive and drive forward with momentum.
Let’s delve into some specific examples of collaborative working…
Catapult
Catapult is a cutting-edge print business based in Orlando. We assembled a large team who delivered a suite of CGI elements all focused on movement and progression with an emphasis on the ease and smoothness of Catapult’s customer journey. See what the team delivered here.
My Vitamins
We’ve worked on loads of projects with Paragon Pictures, including Saint Gobain, Reisser and My Vitamins. They specialise in telling brand-led stories, creating content that isn’t just watched, but remembered and shared. Take a look at this vibrant video featuring a bunch of zany characters who have got a bit carried away with the amazing MyVitamins offers.
Café Del Mar
We used an amazing illustrator Daren Newman when Essential Drinks approached us to help them brand an exclusive new Vodka and Gin bottle to be launched in the iconic Café del Mar in Ibiza. Daren took an intricate and illustrative approach, which incorporated elements from Café del Mar’s dreamlike interior design, originally created by Lluís Güell. See the stunning design and the rest of the story here.
