Owned audience strategy.
Built for brands.
Owned audience strategy solves a structural problem that exists in every industry. Lack of a direct relationship with your own audience, no controllable fan data, sponsoring without measurable proof — this is not a sport-exclusive problem. It is a structural audience problem.
Every organisation with an emotional audience and without direct data access
loses long-term control over its most valuable asset.
Built with responsibility for the outcome.
League platforms
As Digital Product Director at the Saudi Pro League, Ralph Scherzer was responsible for a greenfield web, app and fantasy ecosystem. That experience informs platform integration, operating responsibilities and delivery decisions.
Team and brand relationships
As Communications Director and Board Member at BORA-hansgrohe, Ralph worked across storytelling, digital development and D2C. Earlier event and brand mandates add experience beyond sport.
On this page
The logic is universal: owned audience strategy works beyond sport.
The Fan Relationship System originated in sport — because that is where audience potential is greatest and least exploited. The three dimensions remain identical:
Story + Platform + Value Creation.
What changes: the specific data points, the monetization logic and the cultural context.
Brand & Story transfers the system logic to selected mandates
outside professional sport — with the same standard: infrastructure, not campaigns.
Audience organizations with owned relationship potential.
For organisations that want to build direct audience relationships, improve the way their product value is understood, or connect the work needed to deliver it.
Entertainment & Live Events
Music festivals, tours, premium events: massive digital reach, but almost no owned fan data. Every event starts from zero again. The Fan Relationship System creates continuity.
eSports & Gaming
Young, digital-native audiences with high willingness to engage — but fragmented across Twitch, YouTube, Discord. Identity Layer and First-Party Data create the direct connection.
Media and subscription businesses
Sports media, OTT platforms, rights holders with their own content: subscription infrastructure, First-Party Data, data-driven sponsoring products — the same system logic as in sport.
Product and community-led brands
Equipment brands, lifestyle brands and partners deeply rooted in the sport ecosystem and who want to build their own community directly — D2C, Membership, First-Party Data.
What Brand & Story offers for non-sport mandates.
Identity Layer, First-Party Data, engagement system, monetization — as an integrated system. Same methodology as in sport, adapted context.
Brand as a system: identity, narrative, platform, content, monetization — not as separate projects. More: Our Brand Thinking →
Events as fan-relationship drivers: Pre/during/post-event infrastructure that turns attendees into a durable owned audience.
Audience intelligence also outside traditional sports organisations: First-Party Data as the foundation for data-driven partnership products.
Why Brand & Story is credible beyond sport.
Dr. Ralph Scherzer
managed for over a decade with evcom GmbH international Premium-Events —
not only in sports.
Overall management of the opening ceremony — a major cultural event with an international audience.
Communications strategy for a global media interest event with worldwide livestream.
International brand mandates with sports affinity and premium audience logic.
„The key question remains the same: how can a direct, and first party data based relationship be established – to an audience that is ready to invest time and money?”
— Ralph Scherzer
Frequently asked questions — beyond sport.
For which non-sport mandates is Brand & Story open?
The audience relationship offer is for organisations with an audience they want to understand and serve directly: events, entertainment, media, gaming and product brands. AI Discovery and workflow implementation address additional needs in how a brand is found and how its team works.
How does the FRS differ for events vs. sport?
In sport, most fan interaction runs year-round — tickets, content, merchandise between events. For event organisations (festivals, tours) the core challenge is different: the relationship rarely survives the event. The Fan Relationship System solves exactly this: Identity Layer and permanent engagement infrastructure that turns a one-time event visitor into a long-term fan with First-Party Data.
Is Brand & Story the right choice without a sport context?
Yes. For audience relationship work, the key is a clear opportunity to build direct access, permission and lasting value. AI Discovery and workflow implementation can also be scoped independently. The first conversation checks the business problem, the available inputs and who will own the result.
What is the first step?
A free 30-minute conversation to understand your challenge and establish the right scope. Depending on your needs, the next step may involve audience relationships, AI Discovery or a focused workflow pilot.
Experience in sport. Relevant to your business.
Brand & Story brings hands-on experience from sport, media and premium brand environments. The right fit depends on your audience, your operating challenge and the result you need.
30 min · Free · No pitch
Further reading
Connect the work your team repeats.
Turn recurring research, coordination and content tasks into AI-assisted workflows with defined outputs, human review and team ownership. Start with one scoped process, then test its value in practice.
Explore AI Workflows ↗Advisory
Ready to build this for your organisation?
Strategic advisory for brands and rights holders — direct access, no agency layer.