CASE STUDY: THE ELECTRIC COMPANY
As the Sesame Workshop re-launched the classic children's TV show The Electric Company, the brand realized that a modern children's television show needs to extend its relationship with its viewers through interactive media. WDDG was retained to strike the needed balance between PBS's competing entertainment and interactivity desires and its education and accessible design standards while creating a best-in-class digital destination for the show.
To bring the Electric Company to life in interactive media, WDDG designed and built a content-heavy social edu-gaming site that brings the show's values and characters to the fore through extensive video and interactive assets.
Social Media – WDDG was challenged to strike a delicate balance, creating a socially interactive site while protecting personal information and user privacy. To archive this, users are able to create profiles, save favorite bits of content from across the site, and make friends. However, users are not permitted to make direct contact with each other, upload personal photos or enter unmoderated text.
Edu-Gaming - Continuing the theme of balancing acts, WDDG needed to assist the Sesame Workshop in living up to one of its core values: creating content that both teaches and entertains. In each of the six games WDDG has created for The Electric Company, children learn important lessons in areas like phonics and spelling while having a lot of fun!
Edu-Gaming - Continuing the theme of balancing acts, WDDG needed to assist the Sesame Workshop in living up to one of its core values: creating content that both teaches and entertains. In each of the six games WDDG has created for The Electric Company, children learn important lessons in areas like phonics and spelling while having a lot of fun!
Video Content – When consumers of any age look to deepen their relationship with a favorite TV show through digital media, one of their first moves is to watch episodes and clips online. Kids love watching video, too, but frequently demand more interactivity than their parents. To feed and reward viewers' desire for a deeper experience, WDDG created a robust back-end system for Sesame Workshop to easily upload new video content where users can watch full episodes, clips and even create “smash-ups” of content.
Since launching the site in 2009, accolades have poured in with WDDG racking up the 2010 Interactive Media Council "Best in Class – Kids" award, the 2010 KidScreen "Best Companion Website" award, and a 2010 EMMY for New Approaches in Daytime Children's Programming. Traffic, return visits and profiles have steadily increased since the launch of the site.
Since launching the site in 2009, accolades have poured in with WDDG racking up the 2010 Interactive Media Council "Best in Class – Kids" award, the 2010 KidScreen "Best Companion Website" award, and a 2010 EMMY for New Approaches in Daytime Children's Programming. Traffic, return visits and profiles have steadily increased since the launch of the site.
Project:
Client:
Sesame Workshop
Services:
Concept, Strategy, Design, Illustration, Animation, IA, Programming, Custom Content Management System
Awards:
- EMMY for New Approaches in Daytime Children's Programming
- The Association of Education Publishers Distinguished Achievement Award for Technology and New Media
- Intermedia Globe Silver for Web Entertainment & Games
- Interactive Media Awards Best in Class Award – Kids
- KidScreen Award for Best Companion Website – Kids