Visa USA and The Walt Disney Co. are running the second promo in their 10-month-old marketing alliance.
The Kids Stay and Play Free offer gives Visa cardholders a substantial discount on Walt Disney World vacation packages. Cardholders who charge the four-night Dream Maker package to their Visa get kids’ lodging and expenses for free. A Bank One overlay gives an additional $100 “Disney Dollars” with each booking via a Disney Visa card; those co-branded cards earn one Disney Dollar (equal to $1) for charges to the card; the theme parks accept Disney Dollars. Frankel, San Francisco, handles.
The October-through-January promo is part of Walt Disney World’s launch of its Magical Gatherings program that offers group-travel services.
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| Kids slaving away to “earn” a trip to Disney World |
San Francisco-based Visa broke national TV last week via BBDO, New York City. Spots show kids slaving away to “earn” a trip to Disney World while Dad snoozes in a lawn chair; a neighbor tells the kids their Disney trip is free, and the kids stalk off to confront Dad. Orlando-based Disney World will run TV, print, online and travel-agent support for Magical Gatherings.
The two kicked off their 10-year alliance in January; their first joint effort, the spring Unlock the Magic sweeps, awarded 1,000 trips for eight to Walt Disney World (Xtra, April 29). Cardholders were automatically entered each time they used their card in May and June. Five hundred banks did extra promo overlays, and eight of Visa’s top 10 bank partners did customized versions, says Visa senior VP-marketing services Bob Pifke.
Kids Stay and Play Free is a harder offer than the sweeps, with savings starting at $433. “The key is, it’s uniquely Visa; consumers can only get this by using their Visa at Disney World, which is a first for Disney,” Pifke says. “It helps us differentiate our card while encompassing a lot of our cardholders,” especially young families who are “Disney-engaged.” Bank One has issued hundreds of thousands of Disney Visa cards this year, but won’t give an exact figure. The 10-year alliance includes all Disney properties; so far Visa has focused on “the Crown Jewel, the parks” but is in discussions with other divisions, Pifke says.
Separately, HP teams with Disney for a sweeps and national ad campaign for the Disney World attraction Mission: SPACE, which Palo Alto, CA-based HP helped design. HP’s sweeps will award 10 winners a New Years Eve trip for four to Mission: SPACE, and an Ultimate HP state-of-the-art tech and entertainment center. Print and P-O-P in Home Depot stores support the sweeps. Integer Group, Denver, handles the sweeps. National TV—a first for any theme park attraction—supports the Mission: SPACE, er, launch, and dovetails with HP’s ongoing “+hp” campaign via Goodby Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco.
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