Brand, marketing and communications firm Identity Spark is about to turn five years old. We speak to founder Natalie Griffith to see what she offers and how business has been
Tell us about your company.
Identity Spark is a brand, marketing and communications agency that was founded in 2013. It started life as Press Space but I rebranded at the start of this year to better reflect the type of working I’m now doing. We specialise in brand strategy, content marketing, social media strategy and community management but touch on all areas of marketing and comms when needed.
How has the last year been for you?
It’s been a year of change in lots of ways, as is always the case, but it’s been an exciting journey. I’ve had a fantastic response to the rebrand so far and have a solid group of clients who have exciting stories to tell – it’s always more about them than it is about me. The companies I’m working with now all have exciting, ambitious dreams but also have the teams to brings those dreams to fruition so I’m privileged to work with people who excite and inspire me every day.
What recent successes have you had?
On a personal level, winning the last Women In Games Career Mentor Award last year was a particular highlight. To be recognised as someone who is driven by helping other people means more than any business award, in my opinion. I was stunned and honoured to be picked from the amazing line-up of nominees and I met so many inspiring women at the event too.
On a work level, I’m diving into the world of blockchain and ICOs right now, with an exciting tech company called Fathom. Getting up to speed quickly enough to play in that space is a challenge but I’m loving it so far and I think we’ve barely scratched the surface of how our industry can capitalise on blockchain’s potential. I’m also working with another very exciting startup called Unit 2 Games too and I’m really looking forward to being able to share what they’re up to before too long.
What challenges are facing your sector in the market?
As always, it’s discoverability, whether that’s for games or companies. Word-of-mouth marketing is more important than ever, but with all the recent changes to things like the Facebook algorithm and other channels’ surfacing strategies it’s vital to stay up to date with what’s working and what isn’t. Games- or platforms-as-a-service are only going to become more dominant, so my focus is making sure I stay on top of where people get their information from, how they make their decisions, and who influences those decisions – that’s what makes a community survive and thrive. The cornerstone of that is having a strong brand at the core of everything and that’s where I place my focus when working with any new team.
What do you think are the most exciting market trends in games right now?
As above, I think it’s the persistent service-based projects that are really starting to come into their own in whole new ways. Yes, we’ve had MMORPGs and the like for years, but the stuff I find most exciting are those developers who are not just following the traditional online experiences and business models but they’re trying to reinvent it for the future. Products and businesses which focus on giving the creativity and the power back to the end users are the ones that will thrive and bring new experiences to all of us. VR can certainly do that to a degree, but blockchain is also opening up new ways of decentralising how we develop, play and interact with our customers. I’m expecting UGC to mean something quite different by the end of this year.
What are your aims for the coming year?
First off, I’m going to celebrate Identity Spark’s fifth birthday on May 18th. As well as that, my other aim in the near-term is to successfully launch Fathom’s ICO. My underlying goal though is to continue to grow Identity Spark and to keep working with smart, innovative people doing cool things.
You can get the latest news and analysis about the business of PC games on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. You can also sign up for our newsletter right here.
