The story tends to go like this: A couple of guys who do cool things with computers and cameras get together and start a business that they run out of the garage.
Over time, more and more people knock on the door, the team grows, the services expand, and one day, they have to make a decision: stay this size and in this garage, or take a leap.
For Sproing Creative, a full service marketing agency that incorporated in 2011, the choice was simple.
“We took the leap,” said Heath Fletcher, founding partner and ‘director of possibilities.’
And so, last September, the company moved from Fletcher’s converted garage (a 390-square-foot space at the tip of East Hill on a property that afforded team meetings in the barn and client meetings on picnic tables) to a nearly brand new, more than 2,200-square-foot space in the Village Green Centre area.
Now they have a loft for photo shoots, a video editing suite, a boardroom and heaps of open concept desk space for their growing team of nine designers, developers and strategists as well as freelancers.
“This growth has allowed us to compete with other centres and attract some talented people (including developers working in Kelowna and the Lower Mainland, and a Calgary project manager),” said Clint Ingham, also a founding partner.
“It’s also really improved our efficiency as a team to communicate and collaborate, and it’s allowed us to maintain the Sproing vibe, which is not to take ourselves too seriously,”
And yet, for all the joking and jeering that goes on under their roof, what they really do — help businesses succeed — is serious stuff.
“When we started out, each one of us did something on our own — the photography and the logo, the web development, the business strategy,” said Fletcher.
“What we found was our best success with clients and their marketing projects is usually realized when we are able to help client plan out their marketing activities and develop strong messaging to achieve their business goals and then co-ordinate those messages using various marketing tools.”
Business coach Real Rousseau joined Sproing as partner in 2015,
Rousseau, who specializes in helping businesses grow, says Sproing’s growth reflects the demand for a more holistic approach to marketing, and from a team that can be counted on to deliver.
“Our ideal client isn’t defined by size or budget (or geography: Sproing now has clients in Alberta, Ontario and as far away as New Zealand). It’s more about shared values and philosophy. That client is open and ready for discussions, and potentially change, and they’re open to use providing our expertise.”
Sproing’s expertise has expanded significantly over the years. Today, the firm offers a full suite of business branding, strategy, web development and digital marketing services, including video and social media management.
“The landscape has changed and the way people market themselves has changed, so we’ve expanded our services to meet that demand,” said Rousseau.
“It’s been popular, so our services continue to grow.”
As part of their expanded services and new home, Sproing itself recently went through the branding and strategy process they offer clients. The result was logo enhancements inspired by a mid-century modern pattern and palette of fun and vibrant colours.
That design was recently brought to life on the awning and glass storefront of their 53rd Avenue office. And it serves as the backdrop for Sproing’s new website, which features an updated curation of projects and an architecture that more clearly outlines all the services they offer.
The new website will act as Sproing’s own marketing tool as the company attracts clients and projects beyond the Okanagan.
“There’s a lot of excitement,” said Ingham. “A lot of potential.”
