• by Tanya Gazdik , September 27, 2010

Disney Parks guests will star in TV spots as part of the "Let the Memories Begin" campaign.

For the first time in its 55-year history, Disney Parks is featuring the home videos and snapshots of real guests in TV spots, print ads, online and in other marketing efforts. The campaign kicks off with a TV commercial created from videos posted online in social media forums.

For future TV spots and other advertising and marketing programs, Disney Parks is asking guests to share their memories by uploading photos and videos at www.DisneyParks.com/Memories.

Participants can register on the new site and then are offered the ability to opt-in for future Disney e-mails that include "Let the Memories Begin" updates and other information on the parks. The campaign is being promoted on the Disney park pages on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and MySpace.

Beginning in January, Disney guests also will become the stars of a nightly spectacular when photos taken in the park during the day become larger-than-life projections on Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World Resort or "it's a small world" at Disneyland Resort. In both locations, Disney PhotoPass photographers will capture guests caught up in the Disney experience with up to 500 photos used in each location every day, producers estimate.

The nighttime show will use the latest in high-intensity projection technology to create vivid visuals that seem to defy the architecture of the building. A new song commissioned for the show will provide an emotional context for these images of the Disney guest experience.

Both the broader campaign and in-park efforts will spotlight those "only-at-Disney" moments, said Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, in a statement.

The user-generated campaign sprung from a survey conducted for Disney Parks by Ypartnership. It shows that vacation memories hold a special place in family history. Nine out of 10 parents said they planned their vacations with the express hope that they would result in a lasting family memory, the survey showed. And those memories stuck with them -- nearly three-quarters said they think back "often" or "very often" on their favorite vacation experiences.