Walt Disney World is the 3rd most instagrammed place on Earth.

Every single day, thousands of guests share their real moments of magic with the world.

So, to launch our campaign –where real guests live real moments of magic– we did the same thing. We shared each moment as an Instagram story. Each moment strategically released at the same time they happened. All in one day.

Each moment shared and amplified by Disney’s biggest franchises, like @starwars, @pixar and many more, reaching an audience of over 107 million Disney fans, who followed real magic as it happened in the parks.

For over 15 years people had been welcomed to Walt Disney World Resort by a sign that read “Where Dreams Come True.” But people around the world referred to the park as “The Most Magical Place On Earth.” This massive emotional claim, borrowed from culture, became their new welcome sign, and the new brand platform for the campaign we would have to create.

If culture was responsible for the brand platform, we wanted the work to reflect what people called magic.

The campaign was scheduled for a global release during a period of unparalleled social, political, and economic unrest. With two major wars, a highly divisive presidential race in the United States, and the looming threat of a recession dominating every news feed, our films aimed to offer viewers some much-needed joy by showcasing real people experiencing genuine moments of magic and connection with their loved ones.

Moreover, in an era dominated by technology and artificial intelligence permeating every facet of life, we wanted these films to feel like a subversive act of simplicity and humanity.

The cultural climate has made our audience question whether now’s the time to spend on a vacation. And even if they decide to take the plunge, the options to choose from were endless.

Which is why we needed to drive emotional urgency – highlighting the unique appeal of Walt Disney World magic in a way that compels our audience to visit ASAP.

To do so we looked to culture and found we’re collectively longing for seemingly small, shared moments of joy. But what’s perhaps more interesting is that many of these moments, which are often rooted not in how grand that moment is, but in how much that moment means, actually fuel many of our audience’s favorite Walt Disney World memories.

Which revealed an opportunity to bring these moments, and the core memories they facilitate, to life in a way that stokes our audiences’ desire to experience them for themselves.

To prove Walt Disney World Resort is “The Most Magical Place On Earth”, we created a unique campaign that turned the camera away from scripted magic and pointed it to the real, unscripted, untouched moments of magic that happen in the parks every second of every day. For the first time ever, we showed the “in-between” moments that real people call magical.

To keep the authenticity, the moments were shared the same way real people do. As social stories. Each one shared at the exact time it happened in the park, allowing fans to follow the magic from the moment the gates opened to the closing fireworks.

Each moment shared real. Each one unique. Each one a new invitation to “The Most Magical Place On Earth.

In day-to-day moments of downtime or stress, people turn to social media for a quick mood booster. Thus, we aimed to uplift users with real moments of magic when they needed it most, and inspired future visits to the park.

While Instagram is inundated with manufactured moments, edited content, and unattainable highlights, we leaned into raw emotion and core memories made in the in-between moments to reinforce that magic truly can be found anywhere and anytime at The Most Magical Place On Earth.

We developed a Stories content plan to create the experience of following an entire day of magic from park opening to closing fireworks. Posting each clip according to their timestamp gave viewers a glimpse into these moments as if they were unfolding in real-time.

To amplify reach we synchronized efforts with Disney’s biggest franchises, creating additional touchpoints and inviting all Disney fans to experience real magic.

With every real moment of magic captured, it was time to share them in an equally authentic way. As real people do. So we turned to Instagram stories.

For the first time ever, we did a social stories takeover, sharing each moment at the exact same time they happened in the park, from the time the parks opened to the moment they closed, allowing people to follow a whole day of magic at Walt Disney World Resort,

To amplify our reach and invite every Disney fan out there, we partnered with Disney’s biggest franchises to share these moments with their audiences.

In a one-of-its-kind synchronized effort, @starwars, @pixar, @disney, @disneyanimation, @disneymusic, @disneyparks, @mickeymouse, @starwarslife, @thedisneyprincesses and @disneyfamily shared each moment with their followers.

In one day, we shared a whole day of real magic to over 107 million Disney fans, inviting them all to The Most Magical Place On Earth.

“This is Magic” set out to prove that Walt Disney World Resort is “The Most Magical Place On Earth” by sharing with the world all the real moments of magic experienced here.

In that regard, the campaign achieved an unprecedented level of success, earning over 450 Million impressions, 125M reach and more than 11M engagements.

Soon after the launch, these real moments of magic resulted in a 300% increase in web visits, where people all over the world could book their trip to The Most Magical Place On Earth.