#it isn’t showing me the live carousel but the icon is in the middle

[sanerontheinside]

@staff did you break the snooze button

[sophieakatz]

Thursday Thoughts: The Best Walt Disney World Rides

Since I work at Walt Disney World, people often ask me what my favorite ride is. The thing is, I can’t pick one favorite, because I like different kinds of rides for different reasons!

So instead of attempting to rank them all in order to pick one favorite, I’m going to hold my own little theme park awards ceremony. I’ve divided the current forty-nine Walt Disney World rides into nine categories – now let’s see which rides win!

Best In-Park Transportation

This first category is an often-overlooked type of Disney Park attraction. While most rides drop you off right back where you started at their completion, these rides serve a purpose as in-park transportation. The Magic Kingdom has multiple rides like this, including the horse-drawn carriages on Main Street and the rafts to Tom Sawyer Island. Disney’s Animal Kingdom also has the Wildlife Express train, which gives its passengers glimpses of the animal barns on their way to and from Rafiki’s Planet Watch.

Call me a sucker for nostalgia, but for me, the best in-park transportation is the iconic Walt Disney World Railroad. This classic ride takes you on a scenic tour around the Magic Kingdom, with stops in Frontierland, Fantasyland, and Main Street. U.S.A. The four locomotives that travel this route are actual narrow-gauge steam trains, originally built in the early 1900s and restored for use today. Though at the time of writing the railroad is temporarily not operating, the train is still at the station for photo ops, and I eagerly await its return.

Best Carousel

When I say the word “carousel,” an image of wooden horses prancing in a circle likely comes to mind – like the Prince Charming Regal Carousel in the Magic Kingdom. But Walt Disney World features a much wider range of spinning attractions, from aerial carousels like Fantasyland’s Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Tomorrowland’s AstroOrbiter, and DinoLand U.S.A.’s TriceraTop Spin. I even consider high-speed spinners like the classic Mad Tea Party and the new Alien Swirling Saucers as a more thrilling type of carousel. For a moment I considered being clever and naming the Carousel of Progress show as my favorite carousel.

However, I must give Dumbo the Flying Elephant the honor of best carousel ride. It’s the Goldilocks of aerial carousels – not too high and not too low, not too skinny and not too wide, not too fast and not too slow. When I visited the Magic Kingdom as a child, flying with my mother on Dumbo was the perfect thrill and delight. Today, I find it a wonderfully relaxing flight, and so I still make a point of visiting Dumbo whenever I pass through Fantasyland.

Best Dark Ride

“Dark rides” are indoor attractions which carry you along a track and – in true Disney fashion – through a story. Whether you climb aboard a clamshell at Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid, hop into a honey pot at the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, or drive a Doom Buggy through the Haunted Mansion, you will encounter beloved characters and classic songs that you will never get out of your head. The Magic Kingdom isn’t the only park with dark rides – Epcot ferries you through time, the big blue ocean, and a quirky science lab via Spaceship Earth, The Seas with Nemo and Friends, and Journey Into Imagination respectively.

A star among these cherished attractions is Peter Pan’s Flight. The original version of this ride took its first guests to Never Land on Disneyland’s opening day, and it’s been a guest favorite ever since. Even though there are now five versions of this attraction around the world, and so many newer attractions competing for guests’ attention, it’s still nigh-on impossible to get a Fastpass for the one in Walt Disney World, and for good reason! The journey is chock-full of details for Peter Pan fans to discover, and it employs many simple tricks to bring the magic to life even for adults. The moment when your ship lifts off of the railing and takes to the sky gives me chills every time!

Best Game Ride

As I said at the start, I like different rides for different reasons. Therefore, I am taking two “dark rides” and setting them apart in their own category. Rather than carry you passively through a story, these “game rides” challenge you to take part in the adventure, hitting targets in a video-game-like setting. The classic example of a game ride is Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin in Tomorrowland, in which you work to defeat the Evil Emperor Zurg.

But the game ride I much prefer is Toy Story Mania at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Perhaps it’s unfair to compare two rides with vastly different technological platforms, but I find the gameplay of Midway Mania much easier to learn than Space Ranger Spin’s, making it a less frustrating and more engaging time for someone like me who does not have a lot of experience with video games. For the more serious gamer, this ride also offers many opportunities to strategize with your copilot and rack up the big points! Not to mention that the breakneck speed and the catchy tunes always put a smile on my face.

Best Slow-Moving Boat Ride

Many Walt Disney World attractions involve stepping onto a boat and taking a trip down a gentle river. From the musical Gran Fiesta Tour and “it’s a small world,” to the educational Living with the Land, to the hilarious Jungle Cruise, these rides are a great option for anyone searching for an experience without a height requirement. If you want a little excitement with your boat rides, Pirates of the Caribbean and Frozen Ever After both throw a dark drop into the middle of the otherwise peaceful journey.

For some people, that thrill would put a ride at the top – but when I get on a Disney boat, I’m looking for relaxation. That’s why Na’vi River Journey is the best slow-moving boat ride in all of Walt Disney World. This calm voyage completely immerses you in the breathtaking bioluminescent rainforest of Pandora, complete with up-close encounters with the flora, fauna, and Na’vi who live there. If I could ride it around and around all day, I would!

Best Car Ride

While putting rides into categories, I came across a few which didn’t seem to fit into the other categories well. Then I realized that these attractions all take you for a ride on a car! The Tomorrowland Speedway lets you steer your own two-seat racecar, Epcot’s Test Track lets you design a vehicle and put it through testing, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Dinosaur takes you on a bumpy trip through the late Cretaceous, pursued by both carnivores and meteors.

My favorite Walt Disney World cars are the trucks at Kilimanjaro Safaris. This open-air guided tour through the African savanna lets you see and learn about the thirty-four species that live there. You come away with incredible pictures and a call to action to help protect the creatures with whom we share this planet! Best of all, every single journey on Kilimanjaro Safaris is unique – the animals call the shots, after all!

Best Drop Ride

Let’s now move into the realm of thrills! This first thrill-ride category is a small one, for those rides which are not a roller coaster but nonetheless feature a drop that will make you scream! Some of these drop rides are also water rides, like Splash Mountain in the Magic Kingdom and Kali River Rapids at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

I much prefer the objectively best example of a drop ride – the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror! This spooky Hollywood Studios ride looms over Sunset Boulevard, daring you to enter. Now, historically, I am not a fan of scary rides. I was incredibly surprised to discover that I absolutely love Tower of Terror! The adrenaline rush makes me scream with delight more than fright as I fall faster than the speed of gravity. This attraction has something in common with Kilimanjaro Safaris as well, in that no two rides are the same! Will you go up first, or down? How many times will you rise before you fall for good? It’s impossible to know until you step aboard!

Best Roller Coaster

If you’re looking for a thrill, you can’t beat a roller coaster. Disney’s roller coasters beat the average amusement park coaster with their devotion to story and theming alongside the adrenaline rush! There’s a coaster for everyone, whether you prefer the rocky ride of Big Thunder Mountain or the smooth-swinging carts of Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, the eerie void of Space Mountain or the colors and lights of Slinky Dog Dash, the easy pace of Barnstormer or the zero-to-sixty loop-de-loop rush of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.

Though many new coasters have arisen over the years, my favorite remains Expedition Everest: Legend of the Forbidden Mountain. It’s my top example of how Disney tells a story entirely through your surroundings, starting in the queue and continuing all the way through the ride itself, as you first prepare for your voyage, next are warned about the legend of the Yeti, and finally come face to face with the creature. For the thrill-lover, it has multiple drops, including one that sends you backwards in total darkness!

Best Simulator

Simulators are experiential rides that use a combination of video screens and g-forces to bring the high-flying adventure to life all around you. And like I said at the start of this article, I love them all for different reasons. When I’m in the mood for a relaxing glide, I let Soarin’ carry me around the world. Other times, I’m in the mood for the realistic gravitational pull of Mission: SPACE as I live out my childhood dreams of being an astronaut. I’ve ridden Star Tours: The Adventure Continues countless times to get the different combinations of heroes, villains, and planets.

But I have to pick one to call the best, and that one is AVATAR: Flight of Passage. Once again the moon of Pandora hits you with full immersion as you ride on the back of a banshee. This ride is like all my daydreams of flying brought to life. It’s a gorgeous experience in every detail, from the wide, sweeping landscapes you soar above, to the subtle sensation of the banshee breathing between your legs. There’s a reason it’s still such a high-demand attraction two whole years after it opened! The first time I rode it, I ran outside with a huge grin on my face, already eager to get back in line.

Are there any great attractions you love that I forgot? What categories would you use to rate your favorite attractions? Is there truly one greatest Disney World attraction of them all? Reply, reblog, retweet, or comment with your thoughts!

All images in this article are from the Walt Disney World website.

[kitto-toberu-sa]

Sailor Moon The Super Live Report - August 31st (first performance, heart team)

Place: Aiia Theatre Placement: Row 10, Seat 42 (middle, far right)

First, I swore I wasn’t going to buy merch and am SO glad they had so little on offer ;; I bought the pamphlet (which is basically a double sided poster, one of the main image and the other side being info with pics of the different teams) and the light stick.

Second, the show isn’t sold out. Sure, it started a little early (7pm) but it was a Friday night and opening night of a mega popular franchise? Strange for it not to have been sold out, especially since the theatre isn’t that big. (For reference, I was in row 10, seat 42, and the seat next to me was empty, as were others around me). There have been a lot of events and new merch recently though, so I can understand.

They’re also still selling tickets at the door, and are giving out freebies. Little bookmark things of the Inner Senshi with manga art (one of each Senshi, randomly given). They’re quite nice! Another enticement is different events happening after each performance. On opening night they randomly selected about twenty people to have photos with the cast. There is also a high five event on other nights, and it looks like they give out goods on other nights.

The show is VERY dialogue light. As in, there is maybe five minutes worth of dialogue the entire show (not including the live performance part). And that’s incredibly generous. This is understandable – this show is only doing two showings in France, so the effort to translate would be a lot. It’s not cost effective. The audience also more than likely knows the story. The story is the first arc, hugely condensed. I think it worked quite well without a whole lot of dialogue. The cast had to work that much harder on facial expressions and their body language to make up for not speaking.

The show is 80 minutes long. There is no interval. After the play part, there is a song part.

Now, onto the show!

We start off with Queen Beryl and her minions. She’s controlling them and their dancing. Like, SeraMyu is great and I love it, but there is still part of it that’s stuck in years gone by. This is very modern. I don’t really know or care who Takahiro is, but he did a good job! The music and dance throughout the performance is really good! It’s very modern. Perhaps because it was opening night, sometimes the music felt too loud. Not in a good way, but in a it sometimes makes the cast hard to hear way.

Anyway, they’re dancing, kinda like cool zombies? The scenery changes on a screen behind them, showing the battle for earth. Kunzite appears and shows off his sword before taking command of the troops. Unfortunately, the sword was almost dropped… We see a screen of Usagi running – it’s kinda clumsy and ugly, but it reminds me of the live action show, which I’m very fond of, so I can’t be too harsh on it. Beryl then attacks this screen, and we come to earth, present time.

Usagi yells about being late and runs through the audience. Her entrance is GORGEOUS! Why? She’s got glitter in her school bag, so as she runs, glitter is flying everywhere. It’s super shojou and anime. Very simple and cheap, but literally everyone was smiling. I feel bad for the staff who had to clean it up though haha

She stumbles on stage and drops her brooch, and keeps going. Mamoru picks it up, teases her and as she grabs it, they start to remember their old lives. Of course, that’s weird and Usagi’s late, so she grabs her brooch and goes. They part, but then stop, turn to look at each other, and are about to go back to each other when the music starts and sends them on their way. An instrumental version of Moonlight Densetsu plays. As it plays, it shows the characters and gives their names – interestingly, the names are Romanised instead of being in katakana, and the images shown are manga panels. It makes sense not to use the live images, as there are three teams, but I wonder why they choose manga over anime. I honestly think it was a great choice though.

We get a brief scene of Sailor Moon fighting a monster. She’s dodging and crying, but she also fights back. She also cheers for herself when she gets a good hit in, which is super cute. Makes her a very human character. Tuxedo Mask does save her and gives her a chance to fight back, and she runs off after him.

It’s time for school! Miss Haruna makes her appearance~ Honestly her look is iconic (the pink suit) and I love that they brought her back. The students do a dance as they start their daily routine and test results are returned. It’s pretty cute, though too long for me to care about. Usagi rushes in, gets scolded, realises she doesn’t have her textbook, is scolded again, isn’t able to share with her friends, steals Haruna’s book, and joins in on the dance while doing all of this.

Of course, things are going fine until everyone is suddenly infected with Dark Energy (a la Kunzite lurking in the corner). Cue zombie dancing again. This, again, went on slightly too long. It wasn’t particularly good, and the costumes were a little tacky – essentially the stage was mostly dark and certain parts of the zombies/infected people lit up (glow in the dark socks and so on). Usgai basically runs around screaming for a while until Tuxedo Mask comes to save her. Understandable – she doesn’t want to hurt her friends or transform in front of everyone.

Unfortunately, Tuxedo Mask dropped their cane and stepped on it, almost falling. She caught herself really well, so props to the actress there. (I believe it was this scene – could have been the arcade scene)

She fawns over Tuxedo Mask again and after the day is saved, class is over. Everyone leaves as Usagi daydreams with these ridiculous heart eyes. A scene that reminded me of the theme park episode from the 90’s anime – they have a sort of carousel thing going on, and it’s very fairy tale like. It was very nostalgic to see it and remember the old anime.

Afterwards she meets up with everyone who scolds her for being late. They sing about how they met – a very cute and sweet song. Then suddenly we’re in Harajuku!

This part is sort of odd if you live in Japan. Since this production was made for showing Japanese culture abroad, for the Japanese audience, this didn’t have a lot of meaning for the home audience. It was also horribly outdated. The gothic Lolita outfits were ugly and super outdated, and I don’t really associate Harajuku with gothic Lolita. Nowadays it’s a variety of different looks and it would have been super nice to see a variety of styles shown, as well as styles that are from this decade ;; The outfits that the Senshi changed into were ugly clown like outfits and I hate them too.

However, it was a nice attempt in showing off a variety of Japanese things. For example, the girls do a bit of traditional dance (fitting for Bon Odori at this time of year) and also eat fairy floss (cotton candy) and crepes that Harajuku is famous for (at least on Instagram ;p). They also have the dancing with the light sticks, which… isn’t a Harajuku thing ;; More of an Akiba thing, but it’ll slide!

Usagi is separated from the group and ends up the arcade. Mamoru teases her for being so bad, and plays himself. He gets a high score and they high five, before they both remember they’re meant to hate each other. Kunzite is in a mascot outfit, shakes his bottom at Usagi who touches it and shows her a new game to play. I’m… not sure why this was necessary? I mean, it’s low key great, and bizarre, especially because Kunzite initiates it? I just… don’t understand it…

Mamoru is sucked into the Sailor V game, and keeps getting beaten up because Usagi sucks so much. He’s trying to get her attention but she’s too focussed on trying to win ;; She gets better in the second round and Tux is pleasantly surprised. He then promptly dies ;;; On her third attempt, Kunzite throws her into the game too.

The Senshi appear to fight. Their introduction song is honestly a fave of mine. I believe it (and all of the songs) are remixes of old songs (both anime and musical). If I find out which ones they are I’ll edit this post (I currently don’t have internet at home..). This scene is pretty good. Unlike some of the other dance scenes which drag, this scene, through song, tells about the characters and their powers.

Tuxedo Mask is taken away, and everyone is unsure of how to comfort Sailor Moon. I think it’s fitting that Venus is about to step in, but Mercury ends up talking to her first. And by talking, I mean singing Otome Policy. A lot of the performances are predictable in that they go by the order of which the Senshi appeared, so it would have been nice to have that shaken up a bit, but it’s not that big of a deal.

In Beryl’s world, Tuxedo Mask is possessed. Beryl is very pleased and they start to tango. The actress is wonderful – Tux is possessed, but isn’t fully under Beryl’s influence, so there’s point he tries to break free or doesn’t follow along. This was pretty believable! Beryl, on the other hand, is unconcerned – she’s in control and enjoying having the man she wants with her. Meanwhile, Kunzite lurks in the corner.

They teleport to Beryl’s world where they fight Kunzite and his creepy zombies. Honestly if someone aggressively danced their way at me I’d be terrified lol! Kunzite is super strong, and takes down all of the Senshi. Venus gets her sword and fights Kunzite, but they both remember their past. Beryl isn’t impressed and he ends up dead.

This scene was really touching. I felt a lot for her. They show Kunzite’s soul floating away, and her following it briefly, trying to catch it. She realises it’s no use. Everyone goes to comfort her, even though they don’t particularly know what’s going on.

They then have to fight monsters and Mask. Honestly, everyone except Moon and Venus should have been stronger than they were. Venus just got an unwelcomed flashback from her past life and lost her former boyfriend, so it’s understandable when she fails. Moon is fighting the love of her life. Everyone else felt a bit weak.

The Senshi end up dying, and Beryl kills Mask when he responds to Usagi.

Usagi is left with Beryl, and kind of… interpretative dances her feelings out? The start is a little long and messy, but as she starts to go from no confidence, I’ve lost everything, why try?, to I have to do this, I can do this… it’s amazing. She’s taking all of Beryl’s hits and throwing them off and is the strong Sailor Moon we all love.

Beryl tries to suck her up with her darkness, and Sailor Moon walks straight in. She comes back out with her new Moon Stick, glowing brightly. She beats Beryl and dies? But Tuxedo Mask brings her back with a kiss. The other Senshi return as well.

Unfortunately, Mask accidentally turned the Moon Stick back on ;;; I don’t think it really need to be turned off in the first place. (Especially because it looks very ugly and cheap turned off – it’s also silver, when I think pink would be better suited) But that marks the end of all the obvious mistakes. For a first try, it isn’t so bad! I think they could have been fixed easily, with perhaps a bit of design done differently.

From here, there are some quick bows before the song portion.

Song part When it comes to singing, everyone was really good. However, Sailor Venus (Sena) stood out. Perhaps I’m a little bit biased, as Sena is the reason I chose this team over the others, but still. The others faltered a bit at times, or their mics weren’t properly in position, or their voices weren’t loud enough. Sena wasn’t perfect, but out of everyone, her voice was the clearest and most confident.

The songs were all really good choices. There were a few repeats of what was already in the show, most notably Otome Policy in a more pop version rather than the piano version from earlier.

Of course, I’m incredibly biased, but the best song was La Solider~ It’s honestly one of my favourite songs and I’m so so so glad they played it!

They left the stage to come back briefly for a few more songs. In between some of the songs were the dancers getting a bit of stage time, which was nice. Those girls do some really cool stuff, so it’s nice for them to get their dues.

Of course, everything ended with Moonlight Densetsu. Most the characters got solo or duet lines. This is the part where they ran around the audience, giving high fives. I was so close, yet so far T.T Buuuuut Sailor Venus blew me a kiss, so nothing else really matters haha~

We all got a little gift (clear bookmark?) and I got Moon. Some people in the audience were allowed to take pictures with the members. About twenty people I think? How lucky! I waited around with other fans to try and see the actresses as they left, but gave up in the end. It was a good night, and I’m really glad I went!

Summary Enjoyable: 5/5 Worth the ticket price: 5/5 Re-watchable: 4/5 If this was sold on dvd, would I buy it: 3.5/5

[michelemoore]

Takhuk,

January 29, 2019

Michele Moore Veldhoen

DR. HOOK TURNS IT ON, TURNS IT UP, AND TURNS ME LOOSE

I went on a special trip last Friday while driving up Deerfoot Trail with the radio on. The trip is the kind all music lovers take when they hear the opening riff of a song that literally strikes one of our memory chords. Friday’s trip began with the twang, twang, twang of Dwight Yoakum’s Turn it On, Turn it Up, and Turn Me Loose. The moment I heard those opening chords I hit the volume on my radio dial and jetted back into 1990, when I was in ‘full tilt’ mode with two kids in school, one in diapers, a calendar on the wall filled to the edges of every day with all that stuff that comes with three kids, work, volunteer, and personal activities. In those years, when end of day Friday arrived, my carousel CD player went into action, blasting out rock and rollers like Bruce Springsteen, Tom Cochrane and my old fave, Supertramp.

But then Dwight’s Turn It On came along. Who doesn’t love this song? It’s the best of classic country, which to me means that even though the song is another ‘my girl/guy left me my heart is broken song’, rather than make you sad, it makes you want to get up and dance! (Hard to do while driving but I can chair dance pretty good). Dwight’s might have been the very first country and western CD I ever purchased. There were other country and western songs I liked. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Fishing in the Dark, for example. That was a great party song.  But I never bought a Dirt Band CD – there wasn’t room in my budget after buying every release from the best of country rock ever, Canada’s– Prairie Oyster and Blue Rodeo. (love to plug those bands!)

So there I am, my body in my truck ripping down Deerfoot Trail on Friday singing along at the top of my lungs with Dwight while the rest of me has been Turned Loose out on the deck of my old house in the country with Dwight Turned On and Turned Up, while the barbeque heats up and the kids are out in the yard, one son excavating a basement in the sandbox with the toddler next to him pushing the sand back into the hole, while the other son was off tracking down wasp nests.

Just as I’m passing the Peigan Trail exit the last note of 1990 is struck and the hum is still floating inside my head when I’m yanked out of 1990 and tossed into 1976. I’m in Trail, British Columbia. It’s winter and I’m standing in the middle of a crowd of deranged teenagers all crushing me as they try to get closer to the stage in this dark smoky arena so they can see the chest hairs on none other than the half-naked and completely wasted members of Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show. Yep, I saw that band live. And it was quite a sight, let me tell you.

In my truck on Deerfoot Trail I’m singing about taking all kinds of pills that give me all kinds of thrills and wondering if Dr. Hook would still be taking the deadly pills around today. I’m also amazed at how fond a memory that Trail concert is considering how horrified I was that the band members were on stage smoking pot which I did not partake of (yes, it’s true, I grew up in BC in the 70’s and did not smoke pot. I was something of an anomaly, so I’m told.) Yet I wouldn’t have given up the chance to be there in Trail (thanks to my big sister and her friends who agreed to bring me along), because that was the place to be, in those small town arenas where those wild bands of the 70’s played their defiant songs.

Now I’ve turned onto 17th Avenue and I’m a little blue eyed teenage groupie who would do anything they say (not), and even with their Indian guru and all the friends that money can buy they can’t get their picture on the cover of the Rolling Stooooonnne…

Isn’t it remarkable how we embrace the musicians and belt out with total abandon their lyrics that have absolutely nothing to do with our own personal code of conduct? That is one of the many great gifts we receive from the artists who create music – a chance to let out a little of our wild sides.

The one of a kind radio station that played these two songs back to back is Alberta’s iconic CKUA. Tune in to 93.7 on your Calgary dial, and you’ll hear songs from every era and every genre.

Have a twangy, rockin’ week.

www.thetreeswallow.com

[kadobeclothing]

9 Valentine’s Day Marketing Campaigns to Inspire You

  Love, flowers, chocolate, bla bla bla … Where are the marketing results?!

Okay, probably not what your Valentine’s date cares about. But if you’re a marketer, you might be interested in merging the most lovey-dovey of days with your marketing. But how?

Well, these companies have figured out some creative ways to leverage the warm and fuzzies (or unadulterated rage and crushing loneliness … whatever) that Valentine’s Day instills in people. If you don’t have a marketing campaign planned for the 14th, maybe some of these will inspire you to get in on some last-minute Valentine’s Day action. Pun totally intended. 9 Effective Valentine’s Day Marketing Campaigns 1. Frankie & Benny’s “Lady & the Tramp” Instagram Post Last year, the Italian restaurant chain Frankie & Benny’s referenced romantic scenes from notable films like “Lady and the Tramp.” In a cute Instagram post, two real dogs are seen on a classy date at Frankie & Benny’s holding the same strand of pasta in their mouths. This mimics a class scene from Lady and the Tramp where two dogs kiss after accidentally eating the same strand of pasta. The carousel post then highlights actual photos from iconic movies like, “When Harry Met Sally.” In the post’s caption, it encourages Instagram audiences to guess which movies are being referenced.

While the real dog’s mimicking Lady and the Tramp grabbed attention, especially from the animal lovers on Instagram, this post’s caption and other photos encourages audiences to interact with the brand by guessing which movies are being referenced. This is both a fun way to boost brand awareness, and leverage the holiday to gain engagement on social media. 2. Panera’s Engagement Offer In 2018, Panera tweeted that customers who got engaged in one of their restaurants on Valentine’s Day could win free wedding catering from the chain.  The tweet included a short and simple video which announced the promotion and showed two Panera employees cheering, as if they were witnessing a proposal.

Love is in the air. This Valentine’s Day, get engaged at a Panera and we might cater your wedding, for free. #PaneraProposalSweeps https://t.co/mpL5VbjSOd pic.twitter.com/VPRzu0QLNd — Panera Bread (@panerabread) February 9, 2018

This is a quick and sweet way to leverage the holiday and social media to gain foot traffic into a physical business. Although Panera is a giant corporation, this campaign strategy is so simple that smaller businesses could create something similar with a tweet, short video, and offer that drives foot traffic. 3. Facebook Messenger Heart Feature Just before Valentine’s Day in 2018, Facebook Messenger’s Twitter announced that if you shared that you were “In a Relationship” with a friend you were messaging, celebratory hearts would rain down in your Messenger thread with that person.

It’s not official until it’s #FacebookOfficial. Update your relationship status on Facebook and shower bae with ❤️❤️❤️on Messenger. Also customize your chat emoji, color and more! pic.twitter.com/P6oy35fHmp — Messenger (@messenger) February 13, 2018

Although a small business probably can’t add a major feature to their product just because of a holiday, this is a good example of how you can theme something related to your product, such as your website, around a holiday temporarily.  Another thing that’s interesting about this campaign is that Facebook is using a competing social platform, Twitter, to announce this new feature. This slightly undermines Twitter, which also allows direct messaging but with less interactive features. 4. “Adults Meal” – Burger King Burger King is no stranger to poking fun at its biggest competitor, McDonalds. This was no different before Valentine’s Day 2017 when they created an “Adult Meal” alternative with a similar box shape to McDonalds’ kids’ meal. In the ad, Burger King explains that Kids’ Meals are for kids. But, on the night of Valentine’s Day, Burger King customers can buy an adult meal with an “adult toy.”

This campaign is pretty cheeky. However, it’s edgy mission and subtle comments about its competitor’s product make it memorable and funny.  5. “Romance On Demand” – Uber On-demand car service company Uber launched a Romance on Demand campaign in most of the cities where they operate. Take a look at the short, cute video they shot to explain the campaign:

If you didn’t watch the video, the gist of the campaign is this: You can request roses be sent to a special someone by selecting the “rose” in their app. You set the delivery location, and a black car arrives at that location with a driver totally suited-up to deliver a bouquet of roses. Uber is a startup that’s figured out a way to create a campaign that delights its audience and drives additional revenue for its business — all without a tremendous resource investment. I mean, their drivers are already on the road, ready to take customers; but if there are Uber customers who don’t need a ride but totally need to send some flowers, and send them with style … well, let’s just say transporting roses at a premium price isn’t much different than transporting people. Except the margins are way better for Uber. Pretty impressive stuff. And even better, they’re using inbound tactics to get the word out there! They launched the Romance on Demand campaign on their blog, via social channels with the hashtag #romanceondemand, with that adorable video you might have watched up above, and even by establishing local partnerships in the cities where they’re running the campaign to enter participants into a drawing to win some extra goodies. This is a low cost, high return campaign for Uber that totally aligns with its customer persona — high convenience and high style. 6. “Whose Heart do You Love” – MegaRed MegaRed is a type of krill oil supplement sold in nutrition stores. If you don’t know already, fish oil is an excellent dietary supplement for those concerned with heart health, so it makes sense that its Valentine’s Day campaign theme is “Whose heart do you love?” Here’s how it works. MegaRed is relying heavily on Facebook to facilitate this campaign, in which visitors can request free samples of their supplements through their Facebook app. What’s totally endearing about this campaign is that you can request the supplement for “The heart of someone you love.” In other words, you can give someone you love — whose heart you want to keep in tip-top shape — a free sample of their product. Even better? If you choose to give the free sample to a loved on, MegaRed will give you a free sample, too. And the love doesn’t end there: If they can reach 100,000 free samples given away, they’ll donate $100,000 to the National Coalition for Women With Heart Disease. Aside from the great feeling this campaign instills — I mean, promoting heart health is kind of hard to argue with — I love their use of social media to get the word out there. For instance, on Twitter, MegaRed is seeing celebrities like Joy Bauer and Toni Braxton posting about the campaign. Pretty impressive. And on YouTube, there’s this fun, short, touching video that will, forgive me, but totally touch your heart:

This campaign is being handled by an agency, but one thing that made my heart smile is a quote from MegaRed’s CMO, Jennifer Steeves-Kiss, to the New York Times. “We want to start making digital and social a significantly greater priority for us,” she said. “People are spending four to five hours a month online researching supplements if they’re supplement enthusiasts,” Steeves-Kiss shared, and additionally, they are in the middle of an acquisition by a company whose executive are “great proponents” of social and digital marketing. We can’t help but smile at seeing the adoption of inbound methods by brands that have millions to spend on traditional advertising methods! 7. “Show Your Love for the Jersey Shore” – The State of New Jersey and the SBA The State of New Jersey, along with the Small Business Association, are running a pro-business campaign called “Show Your Love for the Jersey Shore.” The call-to-action for the campaign? To spend your vacation dollars — particularly on Valentine’s Day — at the Jersey Shore. It’s being promoted on Facebook, Twitter, via email, and via live events in partnership with destination marketing organizations. Information about special promotions being offered by shore businesses will be shared socially, too, so if you’re looking for something to do tomorrow, check it out 😉 For instance, you might be interested in …

Doo Wop with the one you love this Valentine’s Day at @countbasiethtr. bit.ly/UEXOPf — New Jersey Tourism (@Visit_NewJersey) February 9, 2013

I know I sure would be! The goal of the campaign is to show that the Jersey Shore is open for business after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. The problem some shore businesses are facing is the perception that businesses aren’t recovered from the storm. While there’s still much more recovery to be done, there are some businesses that are, indeed, ready to accept tourists. They just need the word to get out there. Director of Jenkinson’s Aquarium, Cindy Claus, told NorthJersey.com, “I think so many people see on the news that we got hit by the storm. They see all the destruction, and yes, there’s a lot of destruction and a lot of sadness, but there’s a lot of businesses that were able to get opened. And you need to come back because that’s the only way these businesses are going to survive.” The aquarium was able to open back up on February 1, and is hoping this campaign will help get the word out there that they’re welcoming visitors with open arms. Whether the campaign works or not remains to be seen, but it’s fantastic to see federally funded institutions finding a way to, essentially, newsjack as a way to aid the shore community — particularly affected businesses — in attaining their previous levels of visitors. 8. Scribbler Valentine’s Day Campaign Scribbler, a UK-based personalized greeting card service, has won my heart because of its celebration of content in its Valentine’s Day campaign. Using their blog, they’ve asked their audience to share what their definition of “love” is. All you do is visit their blog, and answer these three questions: Or, you can tweet your response to the Scribbler Twitter account. The winner will get a free iPad mini, and the best answers will be compiled in their Valentine’s Day ebook. To inspire people, Scribbler is also using Facebook and Twitter to post some of the best answers that are coming their way. This campaign is fantastic for a few reasons: It’s a simple way to generate leads that can be nurtured later. It’s a simple way to get people aware of and engaged with their social channels to expand their reach. It’s a simple way to crowdsource content. This campaign is an excellent idea for anyone trying to expand the top of their funnel — campaigns with a low time commitment but high level of delight are great ways to make new fans that you can later nurture into customers. 9. UncommonGoods Email Marketing Campaign When I stumble across good email marketing, I get excited. When I stumble upon lovable email marketing, I swoon. Take a look at the lovely email ecommerce company UncommonGoods sent last week to remind/enable/capitalize on last-minute shoppers:

 First of all, one of the great things about all of UncommonGoods’ emails is their attention to detail. For instance, they tied the Valentine’s Day theme into more than just the design and theme of the email campaign: Take a look at the little tiny text at the top left of the email to see what I mean. Instead of just saying, “For an HTML version of this email, bla bla bla,” they said, “Email still a sweet nothing? Click here.” Love is in the details, as they say. But the layout of the email also makes taking action super easy for the recipient. Notice how they’ve divided up the gifts, essentially, by persona. “Whose heart are you aiming for?” they ask — at which point you can click on the person you need to shop for, and be brought to a landing page with content that aligns with your need. But you know what takes all this to the next level? The fact that UncommonGoods finds a way to incorporate blogging into all of this! If you visit UncommonGoods from this email, you’ll see the following (pay particular attention to the orange call-out): Not only does the design from the email align with design on the website, but when you click on the parts of that little box — let’s say you’re looking for gifts for your girlfriend — you get taken to a blog post of the top ten gifts for girlfriends, with a picture of that gift, a fun and well-written description of that gift, and a CTA to make the purchase next to each gift. Nothing like integrating your marketing channels to sweep a marketer off her (or his) feet! Valentine’s Day Campaign Takeaways Editor’s Note: This blog post was originally published in Feb. 2013, but was updated for comprehensiveness on January 30, 2020.

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