Founder Brand & Story

Dr. Ralph Scherzer, MBA, MA

I build Owned Fan Relationships — the direct, data-driven connection between sports rights holders and their fans. 360° perspective:

athlete → team level → league level — that’s why Brand & Story thinks differently than traditional consultants.

Ralph Scherzer — Gründer Brand & Story, Experte für Owned Fan Relationships

What I build

The Fan Relationship System —
distilled from three levels of experience.

The Fan Relationship System is not a theoretical model. It emerged from 20+ years of practice: as an athlete, as Communications Director of a UCI WorldTour team, as Digital Product Director of a professional league, and as founder of a boutique consultancy.

Story-Layer

Narrative foundation, content with system logic, Relational Brand Model. From 8 years of storytelling for BORA-hansgrohe.

Platform layer

Identity, First-Party Data, digital ecosystem. Greenfield build Web/App/Fantasy at Saudi Pro League: +470% MAU, +908% Sessions YoY.

Value Creation layer

D2C, membership, Sponsoring Intelligence, event communications. €500k+ D2C in year 1. World-class events on three continents.

The journey. No theory — lived practice.

1998 – 2008
Athlete
Professional cyclist. National U23 Champion Austria. 30+ international victories.

10 years of professional cycling at international level. This perspective is present in every mandate:
what truly moves fans, what athletes need, what organizations systematically overlook.
Not a consultant who writes about sport — someone who was inside it.

2009 – 2014
City Marketing / Lecturer
City Marketing · Lecturer (Sportmarketing FH/Uni) · Alpine Ski WCS Schladming · Swiss Global Partner AG

First years after active sport: city marketing, lecturing at universities and colleges (sports marketing), event management at international level (Alpine Ski World Championships Schladming) and business development in an international context.

2013 – 2024
Entrepreneur
Co-Owner & Managing Director, evcom GmbH

Founding and building an event and communications agency with an international focus on top-tier events and Premium Brands. Over a decade of responsibility for concept, strategy and implementation of complex communications projects.

European Capital of Culture 2024
Overall management of the opening ceremony. Coordination of all communication levels for one of Europe’s most significant cultural events.
Ineos 1:59 Challenge (Wien, 2019)
Global media attention. Communications strategy for Eliud Kipchoge’s marathon world record attempt in Vienna. Coordinated global media coverage.
GC32 Racing Tour
Co-founded, overall responsibility. International catamaran racing series with top teams such as Alinghi Red Bull Racing, HRM Racing Team and Team Rockwool Racing.
Red Bull · Red Bull Media House · BOA Technology · Goslings Rum
Long-term communications and brand mandates for international premium brands in Sport, Lifestyle and Entertainment.
2015 – 2023
Team Level
Communications Director & Board Member, BORA-hansgrohe (UCI WorldTour).

8 years of responsibility for communications, storytelling, D2C and digital development at the highest level.
Story layer and monetization layer des Fan Relationship Systems — built in practice.

7M+Views TdF 2019 Storytelling
€500k+D2C E-Commerce Jahr 1
9.1xROAS D2C Kampagne
2023 – 2024
League Level
Senior Director Strategy & Business Development, SPL Media House.

Strategic responsibility for business development and partnerships at the media arm of the Saudi Pro League.

2024 – 2025
League Level
Digital Product Director, Saudi Pro League.

Complete digital ecosystem of one of the fastest-growing Fußballligen der Welt.
Greenfield build: Web, App, Fantasy — Platform layer and Identity Layer des Fan Relationship Systems in Echtzeit.

+470%MAU-Wachstum
+908%Sessions YoY
3Platforms built simultaneously
2026 –
Brand & Story
Founder & Managing Director, Brand & Story.

Brand & Story consolidates this 360° experience in strategic mandates for
professional sports organizations, media companies and D2C brands.
For organizations that are ready to build a true Fan Relationship System.

Academic background.

PhD Business Administration
UCN · 2015–2016
MA Business Psychology
Donau-Universität Krems · 2010–2012
MBA Sports- & Tourismmanagement
Donau-Universität Krems · 2008–2010
AI Certifications: Agentic AI, Advanced Prompt Engineering, Generative AI Data Analyst
Vanderbilt University · 2025

Core Competencies.

Owned Fan Relationships
Fan Relationship System
Identity Layer
First-Party Data Strategy
Fan Monetization & D2C
Sponsorship Activation
Digital Product Management
Live Communication
Brand Activation
Storytelling Systems
UCI WorldTour
Operating Model Design

„I didn’t think about sport digital as a consultant. I built it — under pressure, with real budgets, for real rights holders. The Fan Relationship System is the result.““

— Ralph Scherzer, Founder Brand & Story

Book initial call →

30 min · Free · No pitch

The Fan Relationship System

Further reading