By BIKRAM DUGGAL
Director - Marketing, WaltDisney Television International India
In today’s fast-paced life, we often complain of not finding time for our own selves – to rejuvenate, unwind, look at the beauty around us and experience the small pleasures of life. Business with pleasure is a cherished dream for many.
However, when you are completely in love with what you do, your job becomes a joy in itself. I say that from a soulful experience I recently had, as a part of Disney ‘Jet Set Go’ campaign, where Disney took a plane full of 37 kids and their families to the happiest place on earth – The Hong Kong Disneyland.
It was truly a special campaign, something I realized when I saw the laughter and smiles on each and every kid’s face, the sense of pride their parents carried, and the moments that saw whole families coming together were nothing less than magical.
We began with the Journey of ‘Jet Set Go’ in December 2011, when we sat down to decide what we could do to take our brand philosophy to the next level – something that could deliver on all the three tenets of our brand philosophy, i.e., wonderful story-telling, memorable characters and magical Disney experience for fans across age groups. While kids are our biggest fans, we stand for wholesome family entertainment, which is incomplete without parents being a close part of it.
With ‘Jet Set Go’, our simple thought of flying families to Disneyland elevated to branding an aircraft with Disney characters. But this was not all - the joy in doing our job kept motivating us to do more....
The contest saw a phenomenal response, with more than six million entries pouring in and winners coming from places such as Chandrapur, Hissar, Rohtak, Bareilly, Guwahati, etc. We realized this had to be celebrated, so we created ads for regional winners, flashed their names during programmes and cheered them in every possible way. Parents asking for these videos as a memory assure us that our job has also spread joy!
Watching a branded plane for the first time, meeting their favourite TV stars in person, getting kissed by Mickey and Minnie, having breakfast with Disney characters, living the Disneyland experience at a tender age, being the “hero” of the whole experience, having won the trip – I could see awe in the eyes of these little kids.
I can’t forget a mother walking up to me and thanking me for everything as she did not have to wake her family up even once during the whole journey. In fact, it was the kids who woke their parents up for an exciting day ahead! I did expect the kids to be overjoyed, but it was the parents’ reaction that touched me the most – they stood in queues untiringly to take the rides again and again!
On the last day of the trip, I told a parent who had still not got out of the hotel that it was time to go, and he replied in Punjabi, “Ki karan paaji jaan da dil e ni karda (What to do, we really don’t want to go!).”
It was my third visit to Hong Kong Disneyland, but I felt as if it was my first time. Joy is not what you experience alone; it comes alive with everyone around. Seeing kids and families have a wonderful time together just as we had envisaged with the campaign was a joy of my job that I will cherish forever.
Feedback: bikram.duggal@disney.com
