GES and Disney/Pixar teamed up to create one of the most unique promotional tours in Hollywood history. During its five-week, 20-city cross-country trip, the “Up, Up and Away” tour offered media personalities and celebrities the chance to ride in the sky tethered to 68 balloons! The ensuing media coverage drove fans to theaters and resulted in a record-breaking opening weekend for Disney/Pixar

1. Case Study | Up, Up and Away Tour
Disney/Pixar’s “Up, Up and Away
Tour” lifts celebrities and media
personalities nationwide
Overview
GES and Disney/Pixar teamed up to create one of the most unique
promotional tours in Hollywood history. During its five-week,
20-city cross-country trip, the “Up, Up and Away” tour offered
media personalities and celebrities the chance to ride in the sky
tethered to 68 balloons! The ensuing media coverage drove fans
to theaters and resulted in a record-breaking opening weekend
for Disney/Pixar.
ges.com | 800.424.6224
©2011 Global Experience Specialists, Inc. (GES)

2. Case Study | Up, Up and Away Tour
Objectives
• Maximize nationwide media attention and
press coverage by engaging reporters in an
unforgettable publicity stunt in 20 U.S. cities.
• Incorporate guerilla marketing strategies to reach
thousands of moviegoers at theaters nationwide.
Solutions
• Inspired by the film’s main character, GES built an exact
replica of Carl Fredricksen’s easy chair and tethered it
to 68 giant, Up-branded polyurethane balloons.
• The “air chair” was built to FAA standards using lightweight
carbon fiber materials and provided 450 lbs of lift!
• Street teams distributed 900,000 limited-edition Up
giveaways to guests in 100 theaters nationwide.
• 50 theaters across the country received 200 multi-colored,
Up-branded helium balloons for the film’s opening day.
Results
• The tour achieved more than 63 million media impressions
spanning broadcast, radio, print, web and live event attendees.
• Coverage included major networks and publications
such as LIVE with Regis & Kelly, Entertainment Tonight,
Good Day LA, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Dallas
Morning News, and the Washington Post.
• With a 68.2-million-dollar opening weekend, Up is
the third-largest film opening for Disney/Pixar.
• The “Up, Up and Away” tour won multiple awards
for Best PR Event: Best Events Award, Stevie
Award, Promo Magazine’s Pro Award, and Summit
International’s Marketing Effectiveness Award.
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ges.com | 800.424.6224
©2011 Global Experience Specialists, Inc. (GES)