BEN SHARES HIS THOUGHTS A WEEK ON FROM LEADERS UNDER 40 ANNOUNCEMENT

I was just pouring my first coffee of the day (and you need a few if you’re temporarily based in New York and running an agency in UK) when I found out I’d been named on Leaders in Sport’s 40 under 40 list. 

It’s a proud achievement and one that made me pause for thought about Ten Toes’ story over the last few years and what got us to this point. The 40 Under 40 list may have my name and face on it, but it truly is a team award and it’s as much a recognition for the agency as it is for me. I’ve always ensured I have surrounded myself with a highly-talented and collaborative team that recognises that ‘all of us are smarter than any one of us’.

As we’re all charging round with our heads in the day-to-day goings-on, like our work with FIFA and The FA at the Women’s World Cup, it’s been nice to have a chance to reflect on a journey that’s on the right track but still has some way to go. 

When I started Ten Toes seven years ago, the world of athlete marketing was an entirely different place with the UK so far behind the US in championing individuals for how they are off the pitch, with David Beckham one of few outliers. We jumped on that by delivering smart, perception-changing work for clients like Jan Vertonghen, Mousa Dembele, Michel Vorm and Kasper Schmeichel – who we still proudly call a client today. 

Back in the day, photos and videos for players were currency; I actually bumped into our now-MD, Josh, at Spurs on the hunt for better content access for our founding clients. Fast forward seven years, and lots of elite players have teams around them to grow their profiles – and lots, it appears, without the strategic focus that we pride ourselves on at Ten Toes. When I started the agency, it was to build talent as brands. Well, how can you build a brand without a strategy? Anyway, I digress.

Fortunately, there is now an acceptance that the stars we cheer from the stands at the weekend are allowed to have lives beyond the game we love, and we should celebrate that. They can also make a real difference in the world with the platforms they have. 

Equally, brands have capitalised on this trend too. The smarter brands no longer dictate that their partners just post this as part of a sponsorship but will co-create content which seamlessly slides in front of their consumers on various channels and can be entertaining, engaging and stand for something – not just an advert re-sized for social. 

Increasingly, as well as working with talent and brands, we’re helping clubs, leagues and federations use their players almost as a squad of influencers; extending the reach of commercial partnerships by amplifying branded content to new audiences. The sponsorship space is developing before our very eyes.

In conclusion, I’m so proud to be on the 40 under 40. So much has changed and continues to change – by the time I’m suitable for the 50 under 50, it’ll all have changed again – but at Ten Toes we have a vastly-experienced, diverse and dynamic team ready to guide any sporting talent, brand, club or organisation through what’s round the corner. 

If you wanna chat about the ‘old’ times or discover how we think about this new exciting chapter we are in, drop me a message and we can have a coffee – or two.