Six reasons I’ve been at Spark for 15 years and still going

Fifteen years! That’s how long I’ll have been at Spark when my ‘Sparkiversary’ comes around in November.

In many ways, it seems like a lifetime since I decided to specialize in B2B technology PR after 18 months in a more unusual ‘jack of all trades’ role. In other ways, it feels like only yesterday. What I remember clearly is I had good vibes about Spark from the moment I walked through the door.

Partly it was the office. Moving from a remote manor in Coleshill (which admittedly had its own helipad, sadly of limited use to me) to a third-floor open plan on Oxford Street is a massive step up when you’re in your early 20s at the beginning of your career. But there was of course more to it than that.

All these years later, I often get asked why I’ve stayed at Spark so long. Why I’ve not felt the pull of moving around more. The simple answer is that I’ve never felt the need to. But here’s the more detailed one:

Spark is invested in its people. As a mid-sized agency, everybody is made to feel they have an important role to play in the future of the company and can make their career here if they choose to. Having started in the most junior role, I was able to progress to my position as an Associate Director, and there’s still room for me to grow.

Spark socials. We also have a vibrant social calendar with a monthly gathering of some kind. The pinnacle is our much lauded annual Summer Teambuilding Day. That in itself has given me a lot of opportunities to do things I’d never have thought of doing; including axe throwing on a farm in Brighton (years before it became trendy!), being knocked senseless in bubble football, speed boating up the Thames, failing to escape an escape room, and, most recently, taking part in what can best be described as am-dram inspired by a mish-mash of Fallout, Deadwood, and the Crystal Maze. Our Christmas lunches are also legendary.

Run by genuine people. Spark’s company directors and management team are equally as visible and approachable as anyone else, and just as happy to come for an after work drink. That’s always helped to foster an image of Spark as one team, rather than having an ‘us and them’ divide between junior and senior people. If I left, I’d genuinely miss the people I’ve worked with for what is now (shriek) more than a third of my life!

No nonsense. Spark’s owners have also instilled a no-nonsense culture, avoiding ‘PR cringe’ behaviour that’s often associated with the industry. Whether it comes from a client or colleague, if something is a bad idea, or will just burn through budget with little to show for it, we’re encouraged to just say so. And we don’t talk in riddles to avoid hurting anyone’s feelings – we’ll just tell you, then suggest what might work. I once attended a new biz pitch where the client – who hired us a couple of hours later – said in their feedback that their comms director had commented: they’re not very Ab Fab are they? I couldn’t put it better.

We know our space. Spark specializes in B2B technology and life sciences. That gives us the opportunity to really understand our clients, the sectors they work in, and the issues they solve. So we can become experts in our area, build stories that gel with the audiences they’re designed for, and have informed conversations with the journalists we’re pitching to. That means I’ve never felt like a fraud, or out of my depth digging into a client’s latest product or a complex message with one of their technical experts. I can feel pride in knowing my craft, and being a genuine expert in something (modest).

Words matter! We aren’t just a PR agency, we also specialise in content creation. Writing for our clients is equally, if not more central to our role as media relations. The content we write ranges from by-lined articles, in-depth whitepapers, research reports (and questionnaires that build the story) to social media posts, case studies and corporate content for internal comms. That means no two days are ever the same and there’s always an opportunity to hone our creativity on a new writing project – which is a big draw for someone like me who knew they wanted a career as a wordsmith from an early age.

There’s lots of other small reasons, but if I had to summarise the key points and overarching themes for why I’ve stayed at Spark for fifteen years that would be a fairly solid list.

If Spark sounds like the place for you too, then drop us a line at [email protected] – we’re always on the lookout for talented people to join our team!