# SPARK Strategic Ideas

> SPARK Strategic Ideas is a Charlotte-based, woman-owned strategic branding agency founded by Anne Marie Holder in 2008. It builds custom teams around client needs and integrates brand planning, advertising, design, media buying, digital work, social media and public relations. Its public case studies show a practical bias toward research, local insight and measurable action, from turning Charlotte's shrinking tree canopy into a citywide conversation to rebuilding dormant consumer-brand social channels.

- **Founded:** 2008
- **Headquarters:** Charlotte, United States
- **Founders:** Anne Marie Holder (Founder and CEO)
- **Products:** Strategic brand planning, Advertising and design, Media planning and buying, Digital marketing, Social media
- **Notable:** Won a 2015 PRSA Silver Anvil Award of Excellence for the six-month SEA LIFE Charlotte-Concord Aquarium pre-opening campaign., Earned a 2020 Queen City PR Award and was named a Crown Award finalist., Received North Carolina HUB and SBE certifications and national WBENC certification in 2025.

## Products & services

- **Strategic brand planning** — Research, marketing and brand strategy, positioning, naming, identity development and creative planning.
- **Advertising and design** — Print, broadcast, outdoor, digital, social and experiential campaigns, plus identity, packaging, point-of-sale and signage.
- **Media planning and buying** — Traditional, digital and social media planning, placement, analytics, optimization and reporting.
- **Digital marketing** — Website design and programming, content, paid search, PPC, email, text marketing and performance reporting.
- **Social media** — Content, posting, engagement, response management, advertising, influencer work and analytics.
- **Public relations** — Strategy, media databases and kits, news releases, pitching, ghostwriting, grand openings and events.

## Achievements

- Won a 2015 PRSA Silver Anvil Award of Excellence for the six-month SEA LIFE Charlotte-Concord Aquarium pre-opening campaign.
- Earned a 2020 Queen City PR Award and was named a Crown Award finalist.
- Received North Carolina HUB and SBE certifications and national WBENC certification in 2025.
- The Charlotte Without Trees? campaign exceeded 500 pledges, generated 97,000 new website users and reported 68 million paid Facebook impressions.
- For No nonsense, reported 44 million cumulative paid impressions, 220,000 web conversions and four-year engagement gains of 168% on Facebook and 1,568% on Instagram.
- For Schleich, grew Facebook to more than 85,000 fans and Twitter and Pinterest to more than 2,000 followers each by the end of 2015.

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Audrey Handleton joined the Charlotte team as an account executive.
- **2025-09** — Perry's Diamonds & Estate Jewelry selected SPARK as its media and creative services agency.
- **2025-06** — SPARK announced North Carolina HUB and SBE certifications plus national WBENC certification.
- **2025-01** — The agency published results from the Charlotte Without Trees? public-awareness campaign.
- **2024-07** — SPARK was selected to promote Visit York County and handle public relations for MONOPOLY: Greensboro Edition.

## Links

- Website: https://sparkstrategicideas.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/spark-strategic-ideas/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/sparkideas
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sparkstrategicideas/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SparkIdeas/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/spark-strategic-ideas
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-20