The Christmas season is also the season for all the fast food restaurant ads. How then can McDonald’s cool desserts stand out amidst all these advertising clutter? While the rest of the fast food ads were talking about happy moments during this season, McDonald’s cool desserts focused on the stressful moments. Moments when you just need to cool down from all the Christmas craziness.

In the Philippines — where the longest Christmas season is celebrated — the end of the year is a stressful time. The holiday rush has days jam-packed with activities. Students struggle to complete the semester’s requirements. Workers clock in extra hours to finish the year’s work backlog. Deadlines, social obligations, stress, and anxiety pile up — making people feel like blowing up, so to speak. A break with one’s favorite treats is always welcome. Oh what joy to savor those cool McDonald’s desserts!

In a series of posters, we captured the feeling of relief after taking a bite or sip of McDonald’s cool desserts. The ads feature explosives dressed up as a student, an office worker and an engineer with wicks about to go off. But thanks to McDonald’s cool desserts, they get to cool off. These were placed near McDonald’s restaurants where stressed-out students and office workers pass daily.

After the campaign ran, the imagery score for Best Tasting Sundae increased by +4.9 percentage points and an increase of +4.1 percentage points for Value for Money. — Based on 2019 Nationwide Brand Health Tracking by Kantar Philippines, Inc.