How Omne turned 25 years of expertise into agency-wide capability

27 May

Omne is a niche B2B marketing agency serving food and drink brands in the hospitality sector. Built over 25 years, the agency's reputation rests on deep specialist knowledge and a deep understanding of how their clients' industry works.

The challenge

Following a private equity investment, Omne entered a period of rapid growth. Bringing new people into the agency quickly raised a question that many scaling businesses face: how do you ensure that hard-won expertise doesn't stay locked in the heads of the people who have been there longest?

As the team grew, so did the opportunity to raise the standard of foundational thinking across the agency — ensuring everyone, at every level, was working with the same depth of knowledge and consistency of approach.

How Spark AI helped

Omne partnered with Spark AI to build a structured approach to AI adoption across the agency. Rather than prescribing specific tools or actions, the programme focused on building frameworks for AI use, supported by guidance and mentorship that gave the team the confidence to apply them in practice.

The work addressed two connected priorities: making the agency's specialist expertise accessible to the whole team, and freeing senior leaders from foundational delivery so they could concentrate on strategy and growth.

What changed?

Confidence with AI increased significantly across the team. Strategic thinking improved, with the team now able to explore more options faster and bring greater rigour to the work they present to clients. AI has become a natural part of how mark-making* thinks – a supportive presence in brainstorming and planning rather than a separate step.

To sustain that progress, mark-making* introduced an internal training programme dedicated to experimental challenges. With AI constantly evolving, the protected time ensures they keep building on what they have learned.

The return on investment

Senior leadership time is redirected from foundational delivery to strategy and growth.
25 years of specialist expertise is now accessible across the agency, reducing reliance on individuals and speeding up onboarding.
A clear AI policy means the agency is equipped for client conversations about AI whenever they arise.

“The frameworks to guide your thinking, the structure, the tools — it was an absolute night-and-day game changer”

Anna Massey, Strategy Director, Omne

Could this work for your team?

Whether you lead an agency, brand team or consultancy, Spark AI helps you build capability where it matters.

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Emma Wharton

I began my design career by winning a scholarship to study at Shillington College on their famous graphic design course. My aesthetic is fresh, sophisticated and clean. I work as a freelance designer and have helped numerous companies express themselves visually through brand guidelines, web design, print layout, logos and brand assets.

Before following my dream to be a designer I worked for several years in architecture, strategy consultancy and running major historic building renovation programmes. This background supports my design career enormously - it means I understand the drivers behind my clients needs and I ask the right questions to help understand the design brief. Having managed large architectural design projects I’m also a project management aficionado, and providing great customer service comes second nature to me.

https://www.wharton.studio/