Having launched 'What Will You Celebrate?' in 2009, providing guests a free park ticket on their birthday, Disney Parks looked to recognize and celebrate the contributions people make to their communities every day by celebrating volunteers. Through a partnership with Hands On Network, the nation’s largest volunteer network, the team created 'Give a Day, Get a Disney Day', providing 1 million volunteers with a free admission ticket to a domestic Disney park. An extensive media plan was developed, including eight simultaneous kickoff events across the U.S. and Canada, driving coverage for the day of announcement with overwhelming media results. In addition to Good Morning America, Despierta America and Canada’s Salute Bonjour, the team secured national segments on CNN, MSNBC and CBS Morning News, to name a few. Print and online highlights included The Huffington Post, New York Times online, ABC News online, MSNBC.com, Reuters Blog, MSN.com, PerezHilton.com, Los Angeles Times online, NY Daily News, Newsday, Arizona Republic, Dallas Morning News – the list goes on to include coverage in Disney’s top 30+ markets, as well as Canada and Puerto Rico. In fact, the Associated Press article was the most e-mailed story on USATODAY.com and the third most emailed on YahooNews.com!

The team designed and executed unique kickoff events in all eight launch markets to target specific media verticals on September 29 – e.g., Teri Hatcher and James Denton were on hand in Los Angeles to attract top entertainment media. An in-depth regional pitch plan was created for the top 30 Disney markets, featuring volunteer opportunities and supporting statistics per market. To pique media interest, a creative Disney character-themed volunteer kit was developed and mailed to media nationwide, arriving the morning of the announcement. The team leveraged Hands On Network executives in each market as volunteer authorities for interviews. The team secured exclusives with Good Morning America and Despierta America and Salute Bonjour in Canada to break day-of launch. Events were followed by an Associated Press feature story and PR Newswire distribution.

On September 29, the Associated Press article was the most e-mailed story on USATODAY.com and the third most e-mailed on YahooNews.com. In addition to Good Morning America, Despierta America and Canada’s Salute Bonjour, the team secured national segments on CNN, MSNBC and CBS Morning News, to name a few. Print and online highlights included The Huffington Post, New York Times online, ABC News online, MSNBC.com, Reuters Blog, MSN.com, PerezHilton.com, Los Angeles Times online, NY Daily News, Newsday, Arizona Republic, Dallas Morning News – the list goes on to include coverage in Disney’s top 30+ markets, as well as Canada and Puerto Rico.

The 'Give a Day, Get a Disney Day' programme launch generated more than 3,500 placements in print, broadcast and online, generating approximately 500+ million impressions.

The results successfully reflect the strategy and planning, and well-exceeded the team’s expectations.