The digital strategy behind Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
By: Belle Donato
What is the show Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood about?
According to PBS Kids Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood is a “…series, for a new generation of children, tells its engaging stories about the life of a preschooler using musical strategies grounded in Fred Rogers’ landmark social-emotional curriculum. Through imagination, creativity and music, Daniel and his friends learn the key social skills necessary for school and for life.” Daniel Tiger speaks directly to the audiance, making the children feel welcome; as if they are one of his neighbors. Each episode is focused around an early learning theme that is applicable in a child’s everyday life. For example, one of the episodes is about Daniel Tiger dealing with disappointment. While Daniel Tiger is just a puppet on a television show, he portrays the appropriate way to deal with emotions that can erupt in any individual. This television series is not only for entertainment, but it also covers themes that are important for the foundation of all children.
Daniel Tiger series trailer
History about Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
The television series began in 2012, and its creation was inspired by the iconic Mister Rodgers’ Neighborhood. Similar to Mister Rodgers’, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood is also filmed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While it is filmed in the United States, it is available to stream in over 180 countries. The series has won many awards, with one of its most famous being The Toy Association and Clamour’s Spring and Summer Influencer choice list. Over the past 12 years, the series has risen drastically in popularity.
Mister Rodgers on the left, Daniel Tiger on the right
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Digital Strategy
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As previously stated, the goal of the television series is to inform and/ or reinforce particular social-emotional lessons that are important to the everyday lifestyle of a preschool student. At the same time, it is important to make these lessons entertaining and engaging, as a way to mask the educational theme. Daniel Tiger uses songs and everyday life examples to illustrate appropriate social-emotional reactions.
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The target audience of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood is preschool aged children and their parents. While the children are the ones who are watching the show, the parents likely need to be introduced or educated on the series. This demographic would likely be middle class families with children ages 2-4. These individuals support their children learning and exploring social-emotional lessons with the use of screen time.
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In a study done by Children’s International Pediatrics, it is proven that Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood is a beneficial series for preschool aged children to learn and apply everyday life lessons. They used a sample size of 127 preschool kids, some watched Daniel Tiger, while others watched a nature documentary. The individuals who engaged with Daniel Tiger had higher levels of empathy, better at recognizing their emotions, and also more confident in social situations.
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It is important to do market research to see what other competitors in the field are relying on the be successful/ unsuccessful. For example, Bluey is a television series for children in a similar age group as Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. This show is about a family of dogs who live together in Brisbane, Australia. An article from Linkden explains that one of their main strategies is their unique product positioning. The show is from the perspective of the dog Bluey, but there is also insight provided from his parents, Chilli and Bandit. The dual perspective is an important way to reach both sides of the target audience.
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Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood does a wonderful job of using multiple platforms to promote and raise awareness about their series. They have an Instagram, Facebook, and X account. They are very active on both Instagram and Facebook, but they have not posted on X since January 1st, 2024. It would be in their best interest to become more active on this platform. They do not have a TikTok account. Other popular television series for kids, such as Bluey, have a TikTok as well as all other platforms. They should consider creating a TikTok account and relying on using paid content, such as influencer marketing, to get boost their channel in the beginning months.
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To wrap up, the target audience for Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood is both children ages 2-4 and their parents. The message the television series is trying to portray to their viewers is how to deal with everyday social-emotional issues that arise. The proof point that can be used to measure this is the views and publicity. As the years go on, it is vital to measure the number of viewers and revenue for the show. If the numbers decrease, they need to change their digital strategy and messaging. If the numbers are increasing, they will know to keep everything the same.
“It’s okay to feel sad sometimes... little by little, you’ll feel better again.”