This was in the Orlando Sentinel this morning (6/9/06):
Disney set for 'Year of Million Dreams'
The promotion will include sleepovers at Cinderella Castle for certain lucky visitors.
Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted June 8, 2006 RELATED STORIES
Blog: A night in Cinderella's Castle?
Read Disney's press release
Walt Disney World: A 2-day series
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It's every little girl's dream come true: spending the night in Cinderella Castle.
Such sleepovers will be part of a "Year of a Million Dreams" national promotion that the Walt Disney Co. announced Wednesday night.
Every day for a year, beginning Oct. 1, a family will be picked to move into the "royal chambers" and spend the night at the Magic Kingdom castle.
The promotion, along with a worldwide advertising campaign called "Where Dreams Come True," is aimed at surprising visitors with previously unimagined experiences, Disney officials said.
"We'll be empowering our cast to basically deliver some once-in-a-lifetime experiences to some of our guests," said Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.
Some people wandering the Disney property will be handed scrolls inviting them to gala balls. Riders on Pirates of the Caribbean might find pirates taking the seats beside them. Others will be handed "Golden Fastpass" tickets that allow them to get into much shorter Fastpass lines at rides all day.
One family even will be picked in the next year to have Magic Kingdom to themselves for a few hours.
The campaigns also will involve a handful of new attractions, including the previously announced "Finding Nemo: the Musical" show at Disney's Animal Kingdom, and a new "The Seas with Nemo and Friends" ride through Living Seas at Epcot. A couple of other rides, such as Space Mountain, are going to get changes.
But the chance to spend the night at Cinderella Castle is sure to get the most attention from little girls and their parents.
"If we came here to Cinderella's Castle, you would meet her," said 7-year-old Adalina Harris of McAllen, Texas, who was visiting the Magic Kingdom on Wednesday with her parents and brother.
Disney lore has it that about 10 stories up from the castle moat, an apartment was built when the castle was opened in 1971. Whether it was intended to be Walt Disney's apartment (he died in 1966) or his brother Roy's, the apartment was never finished and never lived in. Until now.
The winning visitors will be picked at random through a system being developed by consultants, a Disney spokesman said.
The visitors could be picked in the parks, in Disney hotels or even at Downtown Disney, where the general public can wander for free -- just as long as they're on Disney property.
This new campaign comes immediately after Disney's "Happiest Celebration on Earth" promotion for
Disneyland's 50th anniversary, which was credited with boosting attendance at Disneyland and Disney World.
"Perhaps this campaign may yield good results as well," said Ady Milman, a business professor at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida.
This year, Disney opened a major attraction -- Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom -- but no major attractions were announced for the coming year.
Instead, Disney will focus on visitor experiences, such as the castle sleepovers.
But why stop with the castle, wondered Ron and Anita Dick of Wichita, Kan. They were visiting Wednesday with their teenage grandchildren, who they said loved Tower of Terror.
"They need to put an apartment there. If they did Tower of Terror, that would interest the teenagers," she said.
And this is Disney's Official Press News Release:
June 07, 2006
DISNEY PARKS INTRODUCES "WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE," A WORLDWIDE INITIATIVE TIED TO GLOBAL CONSUMER INSIGHTS
BURBANK, Calif. (June 7, 2006) Disney Parks announced today a global initiative, "Where Dreams Come True," which will unify its global efforts like never before and go to the very heart of what makes Disney Parks unique. Incorporating key insights from the successful Disneyland 50th anniversary, this new organizing principle will usher in a new era of broader global marketing and guest customization at Disney Parks and will be highlighted by Disney's "Year of a Million Dreams" celebration.
"Where Dreams Come True" will be Disney's first-ever initiative that fully integrates and encompasses its entire global portfolio of parks and resorts. It is rooted heavily in consumer insight gained through two years of extensive research around the world that reveals a singular view of Disney Parks.
"We have a great history of listening to our guests and through our research they have told us consistently, whether surveyed in London, New York City, Hong Kong, Los Angeles or Paris, that Disney Parks are synonymous with the idea of 'Where Dreams Come True,' " said Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. "The very notion is core to our DNA our parks are indeed the places 'Where Dreams Come True.' "
The ideology of "Where Dreams Come True" will permeate virtually every consumer touch-point, beginning with the vacation planning process and continuing during the Disney Park vacation experience through to the return home. Consistent global messaging and visual iconography will be centered on the universally understood principle of dreams to ensure emotional resonance with audiences around the world.
"This initiative is global in reach from a marketing perspective because of the intrinsic power of the idea. After all, everybody has a dream the notion crosses all cultures, languages and geographies," said Michael Mendenhall, executive vice president, global marketing for Disney Destinations, LLC. "This initiative will speak in one voice to guests around the world and will permeate multiple consumer touch-points, taking our guests' vacation experience to an altogether new level."
The creative elements of the campaign leverage the findings of the consumer research insight that identified Disney Parks as transformational experiences. The series of inspirational video assets being created in to support the event and campaign are designed to evoke an emotional response and convey in magical ways the emotional transformations that happen every day at Disney Parks worldwide.
Disney Parks has tapped a world-class team of creative visionaries to bring this global campaign to life. A team of top advertising talent, including top photographer Gus Butera and famed directors Tarsem and Leslie Dektor, will work in collaboration with agencies Leo Burnett, McGarry-Bowen and Yellow Shoes (Disney Parks' in-house creative team) to implement Disney Parks' first-ever worldwide advertising campaign.
In addition, Disney Parks announced today that it has added world-renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz to the creative team. Leibovitz will be creating a celebrity-based campaign that will convey how these experiences transport people from the ordinary to the extraordinary. In addition to photography, Leibovitz will for the first time ever use film production.
"This array of talent represents a true 'Dream Team,' " Rasulo said, "and speaks to our excitement and commitment to our 'Where Dreams Come True' initiative."
Ushering in an exciting era of interactivity, Disney Parks will employ new technologies that allow guests to customize aspects of their
Disney vacations like never before. These technologies will allow the Disney Parks experience to begin for guests as soon as they begin planning their vacation, then deliver an unparalleled level of convenience and guest service during their "custom" visit to a Disney Park.
The unifying theme of "Where Dreams Come True" will be the platform for communications at each Disney Park across the world. And each park will add to the mix messages about events and milestones with special appeal for guests there whether it is the 15th anniversary of Disneyland Paris Resort, the 25th anniversary of Tokyo Disneyland Resort or the continued introduction of the Disney Park experience to a new region of the world at Hong Kong Disneyland.
In the United States, Disney will launch the "Year of a Million Dreams" celebration on Oct. 1, 2006, at Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Building on the core equity of guest service that sets Disney apart from other brands, cast members at these Disney parks, for this year only, will award a million dreams, both large and small, to guests selected through a random process as part of the "Disney Dreams Giveaway."
Dreams, granted on both coasts, will include an overnight stay in Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World Resort or the Mickey Mouse Penthouse at Disneyland Resort, unique Disney vacation experiences, admission to special parties and theme park experiences, private meetings with favorite Disney characters, or a Golden FASTPASS ticket with unique access entitlements to some of Disney's most popular attractions.
More information about "Where Dreams Come True" and the "Year of a Million Dreams" is available at
www.mydisneyparks.com. No purchase necessary for the "Disney Dreams Giveaway" promotion subject to official rules which will be available on Oct. 1, 2006. Odds of winning any prize will depend on the number of eligible entries. Void where prohibited.
Jumping for joy
