• by Les Luchter , 5 hours ago

The Count from “Sesame Street” urges consumers to “Count Before You Click” in a new campaign from Take9, a scam-prevention initiative founded by Craig Newmark, creator of craigslist, and run in collaboration with Aspen Digital, a think tank that’s part of the nonprofit Aspen Institute.

Newmark himself appears in the campaign, such as in this :30 spot. Others, like this “Jazzercise” :30  don’t include him. The Count, though, is a constant in all seven current videos, telling consumers to pause for nine seconds before clicking, downloading, or sharing anything online.

Campaign creators say that counting to nine “provides a critical window to look at content more closely and to spot red flags like misspelled URLs, generic greetings, and unrecognized numbers."

The 12-week campaign is buying national time on linear TV with a focus on major cultural moments, Christina Sheffey, executive creative director at the Bully Pulpit International agency, tells Marketing Daily. This includes the Stanley Cup Finals, the Tony Awards, and the Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks special.

The paid campaign is also using connected TV in Chicago, Miami, and Atlanta, out-of-home display, online video, and social media on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

In addition, donated digital billboards will be active in New York City through F.Y. Eye’s PSA Network.

And Sheffey says that a “significant influencer partnership piece” will roll out over the next few weeks.

The campaign creators point out that The Count’s appeal spans generations, which is important in reaching a range of age groups.

For example, Bully Pulpit research done last fall determined that millennials and Gen X-ers are key audiences to engage with. This “sandwich generation,” they found, “are often responsible for the digital safety of both their children and their parents.”  And, a press release notes, “many of them grew up learning numbers with The Count.”

“The Count has always been a trusted guide when it comes to counting,” explained Jen Ahearn, senior vice president, global strategic partnerships, Sesame Workshop, in a statement. “He’s playful and funny, but he’s also steady, reliable, and incredibly memorable. That combination is why audiences of all ages instinctively listen when The Count has something to say.”

 "I'm a nerd who has been fighting online scams for more than 25 years. The Count has been counting for over 2,500 years,” added Newmark. 

Take9 and Bully Pulpit also provided some background on the increasing problem they’re trying to fix: “Frauds and scams have become background noise to our daily routines. In 2025, the Federal Trade Commission received 3 million fraud reports from consumers, totaling $15.9 billion in losses compared to $12 billion the year prior. With the rise of AI-enabled fraud, scammers have become increasingly more sophisticated. False urgency is their weapon, relying on harried individuals to be distracted.”