Ear To The Ground Secures Brief Treble

Ear to the Ground has announced client wins from tennis, rugby and football this week through its fan insight and strategic planning service, the Fanatic Department.

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has commissioned the agency to create the foundation of a youth engagement strategy around tennis to help re-energise the presentation of the sport at a grassroots level.

Rugby retailer Lovell Rugby has requested a fan strategy and positioning programme to look at the brand’s perception amongst rugby fans and how they can take advantage of the upcoming British Lions tour in 2017.

Finally, football shirt retailer kitbag.com has engaged the agency to help drive 2017 sales logic by understanding how their consumers are changing in relation to the rituals, language and dress codes of the sport.

Owen Laverty, head of the Fanatic Department, said of the news: “This is the boom area of the agency. We are seeing more and more clients investing in fan-centric research, insights and strategy to help them build business arguments in a world of change. The landscape is changing so quickly brands and rights holders need to be constantly tracking behaviours and integrating findings into their communications across the board.”

Tom Gibbins, head of education at LTA said: “Ear To The Ground demonstrated a clear strategic vision that perfectly aligned with what we’re trying to achieve and how we can get more people playing tennis.”

Ben Elkington, managing director at Lovell Rugby, commented: “We were impressed by the team’s fresh approach and creative insight into the needs of our fan-base. This was all backed up by solid experience within the sport itself.”

Liz Birkbeck, head of marketing services at Fanatics for Kitbag, added: “We were looking for an innovative strategic partner to work with long-term on building our brand. Ear To The Ground’s passion, insight and creativity made them the clear winner.”