Richard Adelsberg is CEO of one of the world’s fastest growing and most successful independent sports and esports-focussed creative agencies, Ear to the Ground.
Adelsberg had a clear vision to develop Fan Intelligence into an industry leading model that could change the game and give the new breed of fan a real voice, affecting how brands and rights holders acted forever.
When the reality of the pandemic should have made things far more bleak, Richard’s disruptive urge, innovative thinking and decisive bravery epitomised his leadership over the past 18 months, as he steered Ear to the Ground through a period of unprecedented growth and success.
Having previously worked at a number of agencies, Richard saw first hand that the traditional agency model wasn’t built for such a rapidly changing landscape. He has a guiding belief that “the world, and our industry, need to listen better”. This is the founding principle of the unique Fan Intelligence model that has been central to how the likes of PlayStation, Beats by Dre and New Balance have revolutionised the way they engage with fans to build their brand.
His mission is to stop every brand and rights holder on the planet from making disconnected decisions in the boardroom. He talks about Fan Intelligence’s role as taking clients’ heads out of the boardroom and into the hearts and minds of the new breed of fans. By doing this he believes the potential to use sport to change the world for the better is immense, and currently, there is still a long way to go.
