McLaren Guise Client Spotlight: How Spike Is Using AI to Scale Smarter
An inside look at how Glenn Edley and his team use AI tools to increase productivity and unlock better client results.
At Spike, AI isn't replacing anyone — it's supporting them.
Over the past 12 months, Glenn Edley and his team have been integrating AI into their daily workflows to speed up content creation, improve client communication, and simplify the "busywork" that often slows agencies down.
We caught up with Glenn to get an inside look at how it's working behind the scenes.
Q: Why did you start using AI at Spike?
Glenn: Honestly, it started with curiosity. I'd been using ChatGPT personally for a while, just messing around with it really, and I started noticing how useful it could be as a starting point for ideas. It's not a finisher, but it's a really fast way to get past blank-page syndrome.
Once I realised I could use it to get through first drafts, outline ideas, and generate subject line options - great for AB Testing, I thought, "Why am I not using this with the team?"
Q: What tasks has AI been most useful for so far?
Glenn:
A few places stand out.
- Content outlines — We can ask it to structure an email, blog post, or social caption based on a prompt or brief. It's not the final copy, but it's enough to get someone 50–70% there.
- Summarising meeting notes — I'll drop notes or a messy conversation into it and ask for a clear summary. It saves 15–20 minutes at a time and means I can concentrate on the meeting, not busy taking notes. I now use an iPhone voice recorder with transcription for almost all meetings. It's a good way to make sure you've not missed anything in the meeting.
- Creating Wireframes and Images — This speeds up the time from idea to final version. Plus, with Canva, we're not paying for expensive design software like we used to.
Q: What's the real impact on the business?
Glenn:
It's allowed us to move faster without hiring more people. That's huge.
We're able to:
- Keep pricing competitive
- Deliver more ideas to clients
- Focus on higher-value work, like strategy and testing.
Most importantly, my team is spending more time doing what they're good at, not being stuck in repetitive admin.
Q: Are there any tools you're using beyond ChatGPT?
Glenn:
Yeah — we're experimenting with:
- Claude and Gemini for long-form documents
- Zapier AI and Make.com to automate basic workflows
- A custom tool that pulls in client content and spits out draft emails ready for editing
That last one is something we're building in-house. It's not polished, but it's helping with volume.
Q: Any advice for business owners curious about using AI?
Glenn:
Start small and watch YouTube videos - although you can just ask what to do and it will tell you.
Use it like a junior assistant — not someone who'll do everything for you, but someone who can give you a starting point.
If you write, brainstorm, summarise, or organise things in your business, it'll help.
Use it as a sounding board for your craziest ideas. It won't judge you.
And don't overthink it. You'll get better the more you use it.
Final Word
At Spike, AI isn't about replacing people. It's about supporting them — and freeing them up to focus on what actually moves the needle.
If you'd like help figuring out how AI could support your marketing team, Glenn and the team at Spike are happy to share what's working — and what isn't.