What is the brand equity of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood? What values come into play as parents choose from among their many options in children’s media? These are the sorts of questions that a team of University of Pittsburgh Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business students investigated over the Fall 2009 semester. The semester ended with the Katz School’s day-long McKinsey Cup competition. The FCI team’s presentation to a panel of Katz alumni and faculty and local executives landed the runner-up award for best analysis. 

Over the course of the semester, the team surveyed more than 200 parents of young children from outside of Pittsburgh and revealed a lasting appreciation of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood as a force for children’s emotional and intellectual development. The team prompted FCI to consider a variety of recommendations, from a subscription-based magazine to a line of Mister Rogers tennis shoes.

One of 16 consulting field project teams from the Katz Graduate School of Business, the FCI team included MBA students Randall Krampert (from Butler, Pa.), Kate Lewis (from Latrobe, Pa.), and Ci-Syuan Huang (from Puli, Taiwan), and one undergraduate, Dustin Strayer (from Loveland, Co.). Katz School Dean Emeritus and Professor of Business Administration Rick Winter advised the team, along with McKinsey & Company staff.

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