Celebration Vacations: What Does it Mean for Disney?

With the holiday season quickly approaching, theme parks are rolling out the promotional campaigns for 2009, the most significant of which is Disney's new "What Will You Celebrate?" campaign. At a rare and rumor-steeped announcement in New York City on Thursday, Jay Rusalo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, revealed their big plans for next year. The question-posing campaign's goal is to encourage families to celebrate significant events in their lives at the Disney resorts. Everything from birthdays, to anniversaries, to reunions, to personal triumphs are invited to the year long party. To facilitate this all-inclusive festival Disney will be offering a number of personalized add-on services for guests to customize their individual celebrations such as the one-of-a-kind cake pictured, right. Additionally, they will be debuting new online tools to help families plan their personalized visit in detail. To top it all off, in a historic move, Disney, a company which rarely has park admission discounts, will be offering free admission to anyone on their birthday. Disney's press release states that this campaign is the result of a nationwide survey revealing "that 70 percent of U.S. leisure travelers have taken a vacation with the primary purpose of marking a special occasion in their lives – a 'celebration vacation.'" While the post 9/11 world and economic depression may be causes for the emergence of this new trend of "celebration vacations," the question is, will the people come to party? The success of Disney's 2009 campaign is dubious given its unprecedented nature.

On the subject of the "celebration vacation," I would like to consider if its emergence is due to more that just financial circumstances. People want justification when spending a large sum of money, and a day at Disney, let alone a Disney vacation, is no cheap affair. Is simply taking a vacation or having a day of fun not enough to justify the cost? Maybe there is a feeling that people do not deserve to take a vacation without justification. After all, vacations do not exactly fall in line with the American work ethic. Americans are expected to work hard every weekday. The multitude of drugs available to help people accomplish their daily tasks as if they were healthy makes even sickness a moot excuse for absense. Taking a break is almost unpatriotic. Vacations are seen as a reward or privilege, rather than a pleasure to be taken advantage of for one to relax and spend time with those they love. The reasons for the celebration vacation's emergence must be more than financial, especially since Disney's myriad of new guest/event specific services such as family portraits, personalized souvenirs, decorated or themed hotel rooms, private cruises, and in-park birthday parties are going to cost a hefty additional fee.

An interesting aspect of this campaign is its mentality that guests are only going to visit the park once. It has a "well-they're-only-gonna-come-here-once-so-lets-milk-them-for-all-they're-worth" philosophy behind it. All of these personalized, occasion-specific features are cool, but they do not encourage multiple visits. Attendance should be the biggest concern of a theme park ad campaign. That is exactly what Disney's current three-year long "Year of a Million Dreams" promotion encouraged by giving away many prizes every day. It was successful considering Disney park attendance has increased steadily each year since 2003. Comparing the success of these two campaigns will be interesting when it is all said and done.

In comparison to other theme parks' new campaigns, Disney is definitely weak. Six Flags has chosen to hype up the 2009 season with a series of announcements regarding new attractions in all of their parks such as the Buccaneer Battle, an interactive water ride, at Six Flags Great America and the Glow in the Park parade at Six Flags Over Texas. Disney's only major new attraction for 2009 is The American Idol Experience at Disney's Hollywood Studios park in Orlando. It is not exactly the broad appeal attraction that will bring in the crowds. Where are the new rides? Rides and attractions are the core of the theme park industry. I know those are what keep me coming back. Disney seems to be neglecting this important park aspect. Granted, the innovative Toy Story Mania attraction opened this summer in both Anaheim and Orlando, but that was 2008's major draw. New ride hype should not be underestimated. Disney has always been more than just an amusement park, and these new custom services are a great addition, but making them the focus of their entire promotional campaign is underwhelming, especially with the build up of the mysterious New York announcement.

The most disappointing aspect of this campaign for many Disney fans, including myself, is passionately expressed by John Frost on The Disney Blog, a blog maintained by and for Disney fans. The source of this disappointment is the fact that Disney used to have fun promotions that tied the films, parks, and parades together. True cross-marketing experiences with exciting and inspirational themes and taglines. Instead of an incendiary "Where the Adventure Begins!" we are asked a question "What Will You Celebrate?" The most disturbing thing, Frost writes, is that "Disney is equating themselves with the local Chuck-e-Cheese. Little Johnny’s having his Birthday? Where do we want to celebrate? How about Chuck-e-Cheese? Or maybe Disneyland?...Disney isn’t in the same category as local options, and they shouldn’t act like it either." Whether it is because of the recent Disney film releases, a lack of communication between the films and parks divisions, or for some other reason, one of Disney's biggest draws has ceased to exist. These promotions were a huge part of the Disney magic. 1994's "The Lion King Celebration" (promotional image pictured, left) is a perfect example of these exciting campaigns. It featured an extravagant and technologically astounding parade that brought the film to life in the park. The Lion King became more than just a movie. An innovative and seamless integration of films, music, shows, characters, stories, and attractions in to one experience of perfect synergy is what has raised Disney to its status as the number one name in theme parks, vacations, and family entertainment.

The "What Will You Celebrate?" campaign undermines the fact that Disney is larger than life. It is more than just a place to go for a party. The real draw of a Disney park on a psychological level, is that it creates an illusion of escape from ordinary life, it is a fantasy world designed to let the visitor forget everything else and just enjoy. This promotion breaks the magic barrier and brings Disney out of its fantasy world and into our everyday world. That is not what Disney should be about. Needless to say, I feel that returning to promotions like those of the 80's and 90's, along with some great new shows and rides, would be a more effective marketing campaign for keeping guests coming back again and again.

Disney has not been reaching its full potential as of late and the fans' nostalgia for a more exciting time is catching up to them. The "What Will You Celebrate?" campaign is not a step in the right direction, but it will be interesting to see what kind of crowd it draws in next year. Free birthday admission is definitely going to be a big factor. If the "celebration vacation" trend continues Six Flags and Universal may not be far behind in offering custom services too, but let us hope they can come up with more-than-lackluster promotions in the future and remember that great attractions are what bring guests back. The theme park and vacation industries are constantly evolving, who knows what ideas will roll out next. Only time will tell.