CLIENT RESULTS
From overwhelm to capability
How mark-making* built a confident, AI-ready team
Faced with growing client expectations and internal uncertainty, this B2B agency used Spark's AI Accelerator to turn noise into clarity – fast.
🧠 Team-wide AI capability in 12 weeks
⏱ 50% faster admin and proposal workflows
📊 Governance aligned with regulated clients
💬 “Everyone now feels invested and excited.”
The Challenge
“It seemed like everyone else was doing something with AI. But we didn’t want to just ‘dabble.’ We needed something grounded and relevant.”
– Ali Williams, mark-making* co-founder and CEO
Like many agencies and consultancies, mark-making* faced rising pressure around AI:
Too many tools, no clear roadmap
Uneven team engagement – from excitement to scepticism
Clients asking questions before the agency had answers
No AI policy or defined use cases
How Spark AI helped
What shifted most was the mindset. The team no longer saw AI as something external or intimidating. It became something they owned - with shared language, shared standards, and clear governance. AI was no longer a distraction; it became a disciplined part of how they work, think, and deliver value.
This wasn’t a bolt-on skills programme. It changed how mark-making* thinks, collaborates, and presents itself - both internally and to clients.
Spark delivered a high-impact, 3-month AI Accelerator programme, tailored to mark-making*’s strategy-led culture and highly regulated client base. From the start, it wasn’t about chasing shiny tools - it was about enabling the agency to move forward with clarity, capability, and confidence.
At the leadership level, Spark helped the co-founders and leadership team define what responsible, valuable AI adoption looked like in their business. We co-developed a six-month roadmap that aligned AI with their strategic positioning, client relationships, and talent model.
For the strategy and creative teams, the programme built practical fluency fast. Strategists moved from cautious experimentation to confidently using AI for research, insight generation, and narrative development. Creatives began integrating AI into their workflows - using it for ideation, testing, and iteration, without sacrificing creative standards.
“For agencies considering whether to do this: you can't afford to not to.”
Mike Watson, Creative Director, mark-making*
What changed
Mindset Shift: AI moved from a source of uncertainty to a practical tool embedded in the agency’s daily operations. Team members no longer viewed it as overwhelming or abstract, but simply part of how they work.
Cross-Team Alignment: The training and coaching helped the entire agency develop a shared approach, with teams using common tools, language and expectations across disciplines.
Sharper Strategic Focus: Rather than getting distracted by shiny tools, the programme helped mark-making* clarify what mattered most – aligning AI adoption with their business strategy and positioning.
Increased Client Confidence: With a clear governance framework and team-wide capability, mark-making* was able to have mature, proactive conversations with clients—especially in regulated sectors—about how and where AI would (and wouldn’t) be used.
ROI
Time Saved: Admin and proposal writing became faster and more consistent
Operational Wins: Policies, reports, and onboarding documents were created in half the time
Team Engagement: Participation and morale improved across departments
Client Value: Their client-facing teams now deliver faster insights and clearer briefs, boosting perceived value
"It galvanised our team at exactly the right moment. Everyone now feels invested and excited about where we’re heading."
– Ali Williams, mark-making* co-founder and CEO
The Impact
mark-making* now operates with an AI strategy that enhances – not replaces – their creative and strategic thinking. AI is embedded across the team, with clear guardrails and consistent use. They’ve gone from AI noise to focused capability – fast.
Their advice for others
"We were becoming overwhelmed by AI – unsure what to prioritise or how to make progress. Spark helped us cut through that noise and build something useful, relevant, and grounded in how we actually work."
Could this work for your team?
Whether you're an agency, a brand team or a management consultancy – Spark AI helps you move from AI curiosity to confident capability.
After working with Spark AI:
Proven Results
1 month per year saved per person
From one half day AI Fundamental course
9.3/10
Likelihood to recommend Spark AI
100%
Agree the quality of their work will improve
100%
Felt more confident with AI
100%
Felt more optimistic about the future
WHY CHOOSE SPARK AI?
Benefit from our experience
Our leadership team brings together creative and cutting-edge AI and business transformation expertise. We understand your challenges because we've lived them, and we'll guide you through the AI landscape with clarity, warmth and expertise.
Jules Love
FOUNDER AND CHIEF AI GURU
jules@wearespark.ai | LinkedIn
Jules has a extensive career in the creative and marketing, including running a highly successful commercial photography business and leading the marketing operations center of excellence at Accenture. Jules teaches on the Oxford University Said Business School’s ‘AI in Business’ Executive Diploma and his AI advice has been featured in WIRED magazine.
Emma Wharton Love
FOUNDER AND CEO
Emma sees AI not merely as an efficiency tool, but as a launchpad for unprecedented innovation and creativity. Her career spans leading hybrid working for Parliament to advising AI startups. Now at Spark, she oversees client success, growth, marketing and operations.
The future belongs to those who innovate
Our specialist training will support you to transform how your agency operates, helping you to confidently embed AI across your agency, so you can deliver work that's innovative, impactful and valuable to clients – at speed.
No techno-babble. No intimidating jargon. Just practical guidance from people who understand both AI and the creative process.
We'll help you:
Master the AI tools that will enhance your creative and business processes
Build team confidence and craft a shared vision for an AI-enabled future
Develop a structured, future-focussed roadmap for your agency