Year of a Million Dreams

Image: Disney

The next official marketing promotion within the parks was years later in 2006: the Year of a Million Dreams. The Year of a Million Dreams was, and probably will always be one of the most fascinating periods in Disney theme park history. During this promotion, special events and entertainment were of course added to the parks, but the true highlight for guests was the possibility of being selected by a group of cast members known as the Dream Squad to fulfill a "dream," which could range from a pair of promotion-specific Mickey ears, Dream Fastpasses, cruises, all expense paid vacations, a stay in the Cinderella Castle suite, pins and lanyards, Disney Vacation Club memberships and more.

As you might expect, the Year of a Million Dreams really set the bar high in terms of what guests would expect in the future in terms of celebratory promotions in the parks. The promotion that immediately followed the Year of a Million Dreams was known as "What Would You Celebrate?" which as the name suggests focused on asking families what kind of celebration they would have by taking a Walt Disney World vacation. The reaction from guests to this celebration was very mixed. There were guests who were simply indifferent because whatever the promotion was at the time had little to no impact on their actual vacation so they did not dwell on it, but there were also guests who either loved it or hated it.

Image: DisneyGuests who really had something special to celebrate, like engagements and family reunions, really enjoyed the concept, while some guests saw it as too obvious of a marketing ploy in a way that the Year of a Million Dreams was more discreet. The latter guests understood the Year of a Million Dreams event as an opportunity for them to gain something extra by visiting the parks, but they sometimes viewed the "What Would You Celebrate?" campaign as a quick cash grab to get people into the parks.

#ShowyourLimitedTimeMagicalMemoriesDisneySide

Image: Disney 

Social media changed the landscape of Disney park promotions from about 2011 on. The first social media inspired promotion was "Let the Memories Begin!" which lasted from 2011 to 2012. The highight of this promotion was a new castle projection show, The Magic, the Memories, and You which featured hundreds of photos of guests taken in the park that day. Where the last promotion seemed to focus on getting people to visit the parks in the first place, the focus of "Let the Memories Begin" was more about enhancing the guest experience for those who were already in the park. Overall, it was a hit with guests, leading to the slightly more controversial campaign known as "Limited Time Magic."

"Limited Time Magic," has a ring to it that is slightly reminiscent of that feeling when your favorite Starbucks drink is only available for a limited time, but you miss the chance to try it due to your crazy work schedule. The basic concept of "Limited Time Magic" was that a different event would take place each week at the park, for that week only, hence the name. Though this promotion had good intentions it actually turned out to be quite the recipient of backlash from guests. Each time an event for an upcoming week was announced, the internet was abuzz with negative responses from guests who would not be in the parks to experience each event. While I understand the idea behind this promotion from Disney's perspective, and I'm thankful that I got to experience one of the special events this year (the Dapper Dans singing boy band songs—it was amazing!) I can totally understand why guests would be disappointed in knowing that they're missing some cool events that would likely never happen again.

Image: DisneyFollowing "Limited Time Magic," was the ever popular (and still used although unofficially) #disneyside promotion. Disney Side allowed guests to tag their Disney experiences on social media showing off their Disney Side, aka the side of them that comes out while visiting a Disney park. The Disney Side promotion came fully stocked with some of the best Disney commercials in years, with ads that perfectly tied together a number of different families all experiencing the parks in their own unique ways. Some critics were still weary of Disney Side simply because they saw it as a major corporation using their customers to market their product... but isn’t that what we would all prefer? To me, I really enjoyed the Disney Side promotion because it was really cool to see the different ways people go about their Disney vacations, and having the parks be marketed through the eyes of guests was so much more authentic than seeing what a marketing committee wants you to see.

Unforgettable Happens Here

Image: DisneyThe current Walt Disney World promotion, "Unforgettable Happens Here," may seem a bit underwhelming compared to Disney Side or the Year of a Million Dreams, however it has brought along some heartfelt advertising for the parks, and seems to be doing just fine among the fan community. Though this year's current promotion may not be particularly memorable, it might be one of the most successful campaigns in getting across Walt Disney's vision about the parks.

Walt Disney was motivated to create Disneyland because he wanted there to be a place where he could take his daughters and enjoy spending time with them, a place where parents and kids would be able to have fun together. Disneyland, and eventually Walt Disney World, are those places, and the "Unforgettable Happens Here," promotion exemplifies this message to the fullest. Gone are the days of focusing in on adults golfing and sipping champagne, or kids kissing characters on the nose to signal the end of the commercial. In place of these predictable marketing aspects, we currently have a promotion that tugs at one's heartstrings, while showing that the parks are a place for adults and kids to be together, while creating unforgettable memories that really do happen at Walt Disney World.