• by Larissa Faw , July 16, 2014

Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit firm behind Sesame Street has named Allen & Gerritsen its lead agency on brand strategy, public relations and digital innovation to support the Workshop’s community engagement initiatives. 

This is a new direction for the organization. Sesame Workshop did not previously have an agency to support its community engagement work, which includes projects like Little Discoverers: Big Fun with Science, Math, and More, a digital site where parents can find videos, games and other activities to engage their pre-school children.

“A&G had been on our radar since we saw the remarkable marketing innovations launched from a&g Labs,” said Pam Hacker, Sesame Workshop’s Director of Communications and Community Engagement. “So when we decided to partner with an agency, we included a&g in the review. Their skills in PR storytelling, brand strategy and digital innovation made clear they were the right partner for Sesame Workshop to focus on this work.”

Sesame declined to name the other agencies that participated in the review. 

Now, a&g plans to use a variety of traditional and new media relations to keep Sesame Workshop top of mind with reporters and bloggers from a variety of beats, say a&g executives. At the same time, a&g Labs, the agency’s innovation think tank, will focus primarily on supporting the Workshop’s science-and- math-focused initiative, Little Discoverers. 

Since Sesame Workshop handles creative in-house, the agency will also work closely with the organization to develop additional marketing and brand strategy components. 

Ultimately the a&g mission is to help broaden the public's awareness of Sesame Workshop. While many people are familiar with the educational content on Sesame Street, the Workshop’s efforts go far beyond what’s on the show.