We talk sports, fans and fandoms and how they're all looking to better engage a youth audience with Stuart Rowson, founder of Lucky Socks Media.

Having worked at the BBC across sports, childrens and news, Stu is no stranger to working out how to engage children and young people, not only with great content but to build a community and ultimately a fandom.

We talk about the shifting environment sports clubs, organisations and brands now find themselves in, and why broadening the view to what sectors like entertainment are doing can help develop the right, and appropriate, content for younger audiences, to ensure sport is a firm fixture within their ecosystem.

https://luckysocksmedia.co.uk/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuart-rowson-855a7952/

Things we talk about include

• Iona Mayher https://www.tiktok.com/@ilonamaher
• Sidemen https://www.youtube.com/@Sidemen
• NBA https://stories.nba.com/
• Sky Halo https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/nov/16/sky-sports-axes-unbelievably-sexist-tiktok-channel-halo-after-three-days
• Love Island https://www.tiktok.com/@loveisland
• Currys https://www.tiktok.com/@currys
• Bluey https://www.bluey.tv/
• Engaging Youth newsletter https://engagingyouth.substack.com/

This episode we're joined by Molly Cookson Senior PR & Social Media Manager at First Choice, TUI. As well as running a breadth of successful influencer campaigns, such as the highly acclaimed 'Better Boys Trip', Molly has built her own audience with friend Beth on TikTok as well as shares industry perspectives on all things influencers and why they should be seen as part of the overall channel mix across marketing, communications and PR.

As well as exploring her approach with the Better Boys Trip, we unpick some of the do's and don'ts when it comes to identifying, briefing and managing good influencer strategies plus the campaigns and accounts she recommends we check out.

Things referenced

• Influencer Rob Adcock on the campaign he did with First Choice using train fare refunds
• First Choice's Better Boys Trip campaign featuring George Clarke and friends
• Garnier's 2025 Dull to Brighton influencer campaign
• LinkedIn accounts to check out: Nat Cortezar, CEO and Founder of The Good Egg influencer agency and System1 Group who recently published this report with TikTok, The Long and Short(form) of it

You can find Molly on LinkedIn too and at Molly and Beth on TikTok

If you have any questions about the Hear It Podcast, would like to pitch a guest or are interesting in sponsoring next season, get in touch at info@threadandfable.com

If you're interested in working with Rebecca at Thread & Fable contact rebecca@threadandfable.com

We're talking all things Gen Z/youth moral panics this episode with Konrad Collao, founder of Craft, the strategic insight agency that put humans at the heart of decison-making.

You can follow Konrad on LinkedIn here and find out more about Craft here.

We talk about Craft's research for Channel 4 and other youth publications they've done;

Other things Konrad talks about

Movember's work with The Good Side about young men's health in a digital world

Book recommendations

• Bobby Duffy's Generations and Perils of Perception
• Dr Eliza Filby, Inheritocracy
• Sam Friedman, the Class Ceiling and Born to Rule
• Jonathan Hait, the Anxious Generation and the Righteous Mind