Behind the Scenes: A Look Back on the 12 Days of the Spiral Promotion
It’s hard to believe that we’ve already finished our third year of the “12 Days of the Spiral” promotion! Since we started this promotion back in 2011, it is amazing to see how much it has grown and evolved over that timeframe.
We started the 12 Days of Wizard in 2011, but when we launched Pirate in late 2012, the 12 Days of Wizard then had to become the 12 Days of the Spiral. In that first year of having two games for the holiday, we alternated and even shared promotional days between Wizard and Pirate. Finally in 2013, the 12 Days of the Spiral grew into two different events with specific days for both Wizard101 and Pirate101!
As you have seen, every year we introduce a holiday themed charity item to kick off this promotion. These special items help raise money for different organizations in the Austin and Plano areas that are devoted to helping children. I always look forward to the reveal of the charity item as we get closer to the end of the year. Our teams’ creativity never ceases to amaze me with what they come up with for the 12 Days of the Spiral!
We’ve had great items in the past like the Chrismoose and Fa-La-La-Llama mounts, but this year the team really outdid themselves with the creation of the Charity Noelephant. Thanks again to all the players within the Wizard101 and Pirate101 communities that helped us make our charitable contributions by purchasing this mount. The proceeds from the Noelephant allowed us to make $50,000 contribution across three charities: Make-A-Wish® Central & South Texas, Austin Children’s Shelter and the Children’s Medical Center at Legacy in Plano.
Along with the charity item, each year we have tried to offer up a good mix of site promotions, in-game item promotions, new in-game item launches and free goodies for our players. Quite often we have taken our players feedback into account when planning these days and how we execute on them. I see your comments on our message boards, on online fansite forums and on social media. Here are just a few examples of player feedback that have been incorporated into the 12 Days of the Spiral promotion:
- In 2011, players asked for free items to be available longer than just 1 day –> So in 2012 and 2013, we made those free items available until the 12 Days promotion was fully over.
- In 2011 and 2012, some players had problems getting the Mystery Coupons we sent them via email -> So in 2013, we automatically applied the Mystery Coupon to each player’s individual account.
- In 2012, players asked for Free Crowns (when don’t you ask for Free Crowns, ha!) -> So in 2013 for the first time ever, one of the promotional days was a Free Crowns giveaway!
We were pretty excited to be able to offer the Free Crowns day this year! It was a perfect way to cap the 2013 version of the 12 Days of the Spiral promotion. Based on player feedback, I would say that this year was quite the success! We were overwhelmed with all the positive comments and thanks we received from our awesome players! Thank you and I hope you enjoyed spending those Free Crowns!!
Here’s to a great 2014 filled with many Wizard and Pirate adventures!
If you have some ideas for future promotions you’d like to share or have other feedback you’d like to give on our 12 Days of the Spiral promotion, please do so in your comments below. I’m all ears!
Ryan Daniels
Director of Marketing
KingsIsle Blog 
could there maybe be a new quest which if completed you get a new companion
cool game i cant wait for part2
can you please do free crowns next year I missed it in 2013 it would be cool try this out
me too im missed it
can we have more crowns i love to have crowns
“THANK YOU”
FOR ALL THE PRESENT IN 2013 AND 12 DAYS OF THE SPYRAL VERY GOOD GAME ,BUT i THANK THEY SHOULD ALSO GIVE FREE CASTLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
thank you but you should also give free cards
yeah I need more crowns so I can buy super cool stuf
free cards? free castles? (More) free crowns? It was Christmas for crying out loud! The crowns and housing items are special. If any thing, they should do quests and like a free item or two. Thank u KI for the free crowns & snowman.
The twelve days of the Spiral is AWESOME. I look forward to Christmas time on the game just to see what is offered, & the decorations. All the pets are great(even if I can’t afford them). & so are the mounts.
You folks do a marvelous job with everything you do, & I mean everything. I love to watch the fireworks 🙂 on the 4th of July holiday too.
I think some of these replies have some great ideas in them & could be made easily for the game.
I especially enjoyed the one about the new spells.
I do think though everyone should receive the same amount of crowns (only fair). Just like in real life when favorite children get better presents than the rest. 😦 (that can hurt feelings).
Anyhow, keep up the great work! & thank you.
how about highering the drop rate from bosses that include crown items , pets etc during the holiday events cause farming them without a higher drop rate is truly a pain . a fun way to celebrate might be to have solo boss challenges that include exclusive drops like a christmas boss or specific christmas mobs.
I also would like that, better drop chance either in xmas and/or special occasions or always 🙂
One thing i would say is some kind of Santa or Elf in the commons that works in the same sort of way as the Genie, horn of plenty, giant gorilla etc. Giving out free treasure cards, items, snacks and that sort of stuff.
Crowns, or a nice pet like people said above.
Two words: battle sloth.
I would like more crowns cuz see i got 250 crowns and i wouldnt buy much as others…
i agree with you i think that they can give one thing for free that each player wants next Christmas too.
This isn’t necessarily for the 12 days, but is there any chance we will ever be able to have seven wizards, even if it’s through a crowns potion or something? That’s my number one wish for this game. It stinks not being able to have one wiz of each type. Plus, I imagine it would bring in more money; at least, I know there are crowns items I would buy for my ice wiz if I had one.
Great idea. I’d love to add a Conjurer to my first account.
You do know that you can have one completely different account, then you can gift the crowns stuff to the other char, but the thing that stinks about that is that you have to get a completely different membership, so overall I agree.
cant you make a set of quests for non members i mean for us that cant explore the hole of the spiral
Thank you!!!!!
for the gifts i received during the 12 days of the spiral
yes, thanks from me too
Someone mentioned that in past, there were places that dropped Christmas items to farm. Since I like to decorate my many estates, I would like to see places to farm at all holidays. Valentine is coming up. HINT HINT
I can help you out a bit with that. For the holidays, farm Lord NightShade, and Jade Oni for the themed drops. I’m not sure what other bosses drop things, though, for the holidays. 🙂
i wish there is free healing pet
can there be a faster mount then just 40%
yeah you are right these type of card should be there.
Hi,i love wizard 101 so much but i missed out on the crowns for the 12 days of the spiral so if you can i the raven wood news say to give 300 crowns to each player #yoLo hope you have a great time at KingsIsIe BUY
I loved the 12 days of spiral.Please,can you give us free crowns every year?Thank you!
i really liked the giftes i got sixty thousand crowns ty
i know a thing you could use for the 12 days of x mas on christmas in the game you could put free gifts in yer home and then when players get on and at there house they will get gifts like santa does. 🙂
Make the bravehound a rare drop
cool game plz give away free spells and mounts next year thank you :poop:
please have chance at crown shop items next year
What I was most disappointed in this year is that once again you put out special pirate 101 companions like last year. I spent the crowns last year and purchased the Yule Tide Troggy but it was a waste of crowns because there is no promotion for him. He is only useful at low level and worthless later in the game. Then this year the better looking companion the Mistletoad was weak, while the Yuletide Nutcracking Prince looked horrible on graphics. And from what I can tell, neither of them can be promoted either. So what am I getting at here? Simply put, I do not mind spending the crowns, and I like charity benefiting from it as well, but I would like to be able to promote those special companions. Please think about this and make it happen in the future. I would be willing to purchase more if that was the case.
I would like it if you gave out a new free pet. I don’t have any pets because it costs to much. So it would mean a lot to me.
I think you guys should raise the chance of getting rare items in packs.(only in the 12 days)
I always enjoy the 12 days of the spiral plus the other promtional events of the year. I have purchased the last 3 charity mounts and enjoy them all very much. So I know everytime they have one, I will buy.
I think it would be fun if we had the 5 days of the spiral in july, like a christmas in july event. Have a mini quest like we do at halloween and have something in the crown shop available for gold for like one day.
You should add a quest in wizard101 for christmas! It would be so fun!
Ty for those crowns and do it more often pls. Everyone loves it!!!!!
i hope you create more worlds and us wizards are still waiting for part 2 🙂
i think the next word should be ghost grave where all the enemies are bosses from previous worlds
I love 12 days of spiral
I loved your 12 Days of the Spiral celebrations. You guys have such a find history of being so generous with children and your players. During one, I would love to have a chance to get one of the charity mounts that I missed in the second year when I did not have access to a computer. I understand your policy on retiring stuff and I fully support it I was just hoping there was some way since they are also a charity item. Perhaps for a higher donation? If not I totally get it because I have always been so proud of a company for standing by your honor and your word for never un retiring an item. You don’t break your word for profit and I think that makes you a very honorable company. Keep up the good work and blessings and giggles on all your upcoming promotions.
Chrissy Th’Blesser
i did got a lofent for christmas it cost ot much but the game is grat
i love wizard 101 i’m a level 52
thanks really kind of you !!!!!!! ^_^`
what about a present every day
^_^
I luv it so if you can do those this for other holidays to it would be awesome
I’m loving these new worlds. it’s so awesome.
maybe they should have a day where every places are free.
i have no crowns 😦 in Wizard101 and Pirate101 ill have to wait for the other Christmas for free crowns, new stuff is happening around me and i’m stuck, no crowns or membership *sigh* :(.
i didn’t get the free crowns from Christmas :(.but Kingsisle you did a good job on everything you did
😉
can you please give out more crowns pets and castles out.
plese give out a shadow magic pet
awesome idea!
i need some crown and i think you should give away crowns for 12 days of spl
i think we should get more free crowns please i love crowns there rock![)
yea they should
My grandchildren and I all enjoyed the 12 days of the spiral, and having the free gifts last the entire time was very nice, as there were a few days they couldn’t get on, but were still able to enjoy the free gifts. Thank you for the free crowns, a very nice touch.
Nice.
I love the 12 days of the spiral but I always miss them :(.
I missed free crowns so can you do that next year please??
I also think there should be like a free mount or something cos I love collecting them and they are convenient.
Thank you for doing the 12 days of the spiral for us 🙂