How Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Can Sell Security to Parents
Spencer Thomas
About Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood:
The show is a revival of the legendary children’s show Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, which aired from 1968 to 2001. The show shares the same community storyline and life-lessons as its predecessor, relying on the successful formula from the past. Differences in the reboot include ditching the live-action and puppet format for simple animation and replacing the narrating protagonist with a character who is the age of the target audience, mainly preschoolers. It has aired to positive reviews and solid ratings since 2012 on PBS.
How it can be marketed:
The producers can understand that their show has a massive leg up on its competitors. While it’s contemporaries like Bluey and Paw Patrol only began airing within the last decade or so, an iteration of DTNhas been on the air since before man landed on the moon. The only other show that even comes close to its longevity is Sesame Street. With that comes a level of reputation among parents, which brings us to the first fact in this case.
The marketing has to be toward parents:
While non-educational shows like SpongeBob and anything on Cartoon Network will use flashy marketing strategies to get to the kids who have the autonomy to choose what they watch, DTN targets an audience that is too young to have input on what they are viewing. Therefore, the marketing is going to be directed toward the parents, who set the channel and leave their kid to the watching.
Brand Recognition and Reputation:
Nostalgia-based marketing can help win the hearts of parents. Young parents today recognize that their kids are growing up in a completely different world than they did. A child born in 2019 is living in a completely different environment than the parents who were born in 1985, who grew up with Mr. Rogers. A parent seeing a reboot of something they grew up with will access their emotions, and they can see it as a way to tie their childhood to their kids’. Just six years ago, a livestream of the old show garnered mass viewership from those looking for a taste of their childhood. A recent biopic of Rogers’ life starring Tom Hanks was also incredibly popular, showing that people still have an appetite for the content. For this reason, the show should stress the connection between Daniel Tiger and Mr. Rogers, rather than trying to deviate out on its own and be something different than what made it great.
The biggest thing DTN can do is convince parents they are a show to be trusted. In the modern age of media, there is lots of kerfuffle about what kids are seeing and wanting to make sure that not only is the content appropriate but won’t teach lessons that the parents don’t want them to be seeing. The best way the show can do this is by relying on the reputation built for them by Fred Rogers. It is a show that teaches kindness and consideration when interacting with others, something that every parent wants to instill in their kid. No parent wants to take their hands off the steering wheel when it comes to their kids’ education, but Mr. Rogers’ legacy allows parents to trust their kids will be learning good lessons, even from the TV. That is another reason to market the show as a continuation of Mr. Rogers’ philosophy, and as a show that parents can trust.
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood has a legacy of teaching kindness dating back to the civil rights movement.
Where to market:
Parenting is the most exhausting job people can have, and it doesn’t come with a substitute to do the job for you. What DTN can try to do is show to that it is the next best thing for overwhelmed parents and caregivers. DTN should push its marketing strategy in online forums and parenting websites, which are growing in popularity among young parents looking for guidance. According to heymarket.com, 75% of parents use online communities to chat with others about best practices. Getting in front of these impressionable eyes via paying for online advertising would help DTN get new viewers. Another method would be paying for sponsored content on trusted parenting blogs. 72% of parents take advice from brands like these and receiving their endorsement through advertisement will establish trust in the show.
Another reason to market on parenting forums and guides is that the majority of their viewers are first-time parents. If you were to market more broadly, you would get veteran parents of multiple children who already have routines set. Anyone who grew up with a sibling understands that once a groove gets established with the first born, the rest of the kids will follow the same regimen. However, new parents are not only open to new ideas, but if DTN earns their trust, then it can be assumed any new kids will also grow up watching the show.
To learn more about marketing to and earning trust from younger people, check out these articles! They are written by Elena Lazaro, Arita Talla, John Achar, Mackenzie Henke and Jacqui McDonald!