Creating That Burning Desire

Profile: Michael Peters
SPARK Founder and Creative Director



Ten years ago a new creative source — and soon to be a force — arrived in Tampa. What began with one client and one man’s passion and determination to do things differently started small, but has since erupted into one of Tampa Bay’s premier advertising, branding and video production agencies. SPARK is where great ideas are conceived, marketing strategies mapped out and ingenuity is inspired.

Following several years in New York working with iconic brands like Proctor & Gamble as an art director with Grey Group, a global advertising, marketing and public relations firm, Michael Peters was ready to return to his hometown of Tampa to continue his career and raise a family.

Peters envisioned building a branding firm utilizing emerging technology in conjunction with more traditional forms of advertising, to provide businesses with a comprehensive approach to creating demand for their brand.

That first year found Peters working from home, but during the past decade SPARK has grown so quickly it now occupies a 6,900-square-foot building that includes offices, a spacious kitchen, a full-size production facility and work areas for a staff of 24. The anti-cubicle office environment is designed to encourage interaction and promote integration of ideas.

“It’s been a learning experience. We are proud that we have grown into this space, but there is a lot more we still want to accomplish,” said Peters, SPARK founder and creative director who built the agency with partner Tony Miller. “We need to continue to connect with the right clients. It’s important that there is a good fit for us and for them.”

Sweetbay Supermarket, Lifestyle Family Fitness, Bayfront Health System and Visit Florida are among the clients working collaboratively with the SPARK team to build their brands and increase revenue. It’s not as simple as designing a logo, creating a web site or writing a clever tag line. SPARK’s clients learn to view consumers more like friends than pursue them as nameless, faceless targets for whatever product or service they offer.

“We help clients tell their story, whether it is on the internet or in-store,” said Peters. “And we treat those customers as if they are friends, not consumers. Through that lens, we can develop a much different relationship with our audience. Our job is to help businesses engage consumers, not just reach them.”

That means pushing boundaries beyond mainstream media outlets like print ads, to help a health care provider better interact with expectant moms by creating the Glow & Tell app for Bayfront Baby Place. A weekly series of questions posted on the app invites women to write about their experience by describing sensations like the sound of their unborn baby’s heartbeat. Their responses are collected, compiled and saved so that the memories can be shared with friends and family members online or in print.

What does the future hold for SPARK? Peters admits there’s much more he wants to accomplish.

“We are excited about what we have accomplished so far, but we want to be recognized as a great agency at the national level. That’s been the goal all along. How do we get there? By always staying focused on delivering results and constantly challenging ourselves to be better.”

—By Mary Lou Janson