Sesame Workshop
Helping an Iconic Children’s Brand Keep Pace With Modern Families.
The Challenge
We partnered with the SVP of media and the digital team to define a new digital strategy. The mission was to improve focus and navigate rising digital complexity by better aligning with the needs of modern families. But the needs and constraints of the business were also critical. The organization was facing increased competition from new digital-first players and larger, commercial organizations. But the need to stay competitive had to be balanced with the high ethical standards demanded by the non-profit’s larger educational mission.
Our Approach
We started with a deep dive into customer research, which exposed some challenges with implications beyond digital. First, many young parents didn’t know that the organization behind Sesame Street is a mission-driven non-profit and therefore unique in a sea of for-profit competitors. Second, these parents had few ways to engage with Sesame Street directly. And third, modern kids were aging out of the brand earlier than past generations. The result was a gap between what the brand was offering digitally and what this new, younger audience needed.
Key Activities
- Stakeholder interviews
- Research and analysis
- Digital strategy and roadmap definition
- Digital product prototyping
- Digital product growth and cost modelling
- UX strategy and design
Impact
We defined a new model for user engagement to better connect with modern families. From this, we defined goals, strategic principles and a project roadmap. Next, we jumped from strategy to action and created a conceptual prototype of a new digital service. Elements of this prototype have since come to life as a new online learning dashboard for parents that bridges child interaction with parental oversight. The net result—Sesame Workshop is better aligned with modern customers and better equipped to stay focused as the landscapes continue to shift.
Are you struggling with how to structure and focus your organization to keep pace with modern customers?
We’d love to share our experience with you and see if we can help.
