2012 – One More Disney Day

In every year divisible by four (except years divisible by 100 unless also divisible by 400), a "Leap Day" is added to the year to keep our 365-day calendar synchronized to Earth's trip around the sun (which, more accurately, takes 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds). So what better way to use that "extra" day than at Disney Parks?

Yes, in 2012, both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom were open for 24 continuous hours, from 6 AM on February 29 to 6 AM on March 1. It wasn’t the first time that Disneyland had been open for 24 continuous hours. (In fact, Disneyland had stayed open for 60 continuous hours to celebrate the opening of Captain EO in 1986, and again to debut Star Tours the year after).

The modern return of a 24-hour "party" wouldn't be the last, either. Disneyland continued hosting 24-hour events in 2013, 2014, and most recently 2015, where the all-nighter coincided with the launch of the park’s 60th Anniversary Diamond Celebration. We’ll let you decide whether “One More Disney Day” really belongs in a list of annual promotions. After all, the campaign centered on a single day, which was finished just 60 days into the year. It’s certainly no “Year of a Million Dreams,” but as Disney clearly began reassessing what kinds of promotions its parks needed, it serves as a unique experiment.

2013 – Limited Time Magic

The promise of “Limited Time Magic” was one of the oddest in Disney Parks promotions – essentially, “special entertainment, events, souvenirs or surprises” that would change from week-to-week, disappearing forever if you missed them.

There was an air of “kitchen sink-ness” to the campaign, which basically turned each of the year’s 52-weeks into loosely-constructed mini-campaigns focused on character meet-and-greets, merchandise drops, custom snacks, and swapped decorations. For example, “True Love Week” (around Valentine’s Day) saw limited-time sweets and prix fixe menus; “Long Lost Friends Week” featured rare character meet-and-greets; Frontierland’s Golden Horsehoe Revue returned for a single month…

On September’s Friday the 13th, Disneyland and Hollywood Studios stayed open until “13 o’clock” (1 AM) with Villain meet-and-greets in the parks; “Pirate Week” saw “Pirate-Palooza” parties at both resorts; “Fairies Week” saw the characters from the Tinker Bell spin-off Fairies series appear…

As you might expect, the “Limited Time Magic” mini-events ranged in scale, quality, and importance, but were generally well-received. And unlike many campaigns that followed, these day-, week-, or month-long events actually bolstered guests’ experiences in-park, with ever-changing, well-orchestrated plusses that spoke to Cast Members’ flexibility. It meant that every visit to the park for locals or Annual Passholders felt “fresh” while also banking on a post-Happiest-Homecoming market of popcorn buckets, Instagrammable snacks, and must-have merch that turned every week’s limited-time offerings into a must-document, social media-ready collectible.

What the campaign did not do well is to incentivize out-of-town visitors, who were unlikely to be able to coordinate their cross-country trip or time off work with ever-changing, weekly-rotating events. But even if “Limited Time Magic” probably wasn’t the best name, given its flexibility, its smaller scale, and its merchandising focus, it's no surprise that "Limited Time Magic" has returned as an umbrella for transient offerings several times in the decade since.

2014 – #DisneySide

As ever, Disney’s 2014 campaign – “Share Your #DisneySide” – not-so-coincidentally lines up with the ever-changing tech capabilities of Americans. Whereas 2011’s “Let the Memories Begin” aligned with the birth of Instagram and the first inklings that phones and cameras would become one-in-the-same, by 2014, nearly two in three Americans reported owning a smartphone, Facebook users surpassed one billion, and # ceased being the “pound symbol” and became forevermore the “hashtag.”

Disney suggested that the social media friendly promotion was about “showing your Disney side – the side of you that says “yes” more often, laughs louder and lives life to the fullest. It’s the side of you that embraces fun and comes out to play the moment you step through the gates at Disney Parks.”

But unlike past years, the Disneyside campaign didn’t really have any in-park benefit, messaging, or focus. Honestly, that makes sense, too. In 2014, Disney had officially purchased Lucasfilm, and it was clear that the Parks were on their way into a supporting role as Disney’s Iger-era accumulation of IP, franchising, and licensing took center stage in the so-called Content Wars that were soon to come. The #DisneySide campaign asked for Disney fans to embrace “lifestyling,” buy merch, post about Disney’s brands, and swear allegience to Disney + Pixar + Marvel + Star Wars.

Put well by Theme Park Insider’s Robert Niles, the #DisneySide campaign represented a shift wherein rather than advertising theme parks or films or merchandise, Disney’s product was Disney – the Brand and the Lifestyle. The DisneySide promo smartly figured that we, the people, had far greater reach via social media in proselytizing the “magic” of Disney than any campaign could. Obviously, it worked. People happily identify as “Disney Fans” and hang “We ♥ Disney” in their hotel room windows; can you imagine anyone self-identifying as “Comcast Fans” or hanging “We ♥ Comcast” signs in their windows at Cabana Bay?

While #DisneySide might not have caught on, it clearly served as the catalyst for today, when brand loyalty is at an all-time high and fans readily celebrate a multi-billion-dollar international entertainment conglomerate clobbering competitors, gobbling up studios, and commodifying intellectual property.