To tell nocturnal Filipinos that McDonald’s now stays up late with them, we created what we call an ‘insomnia ad.’ With a limited budget, we crafted a short flash animation spot that put a twist on the cliché imagery of counting sheeps. As cable TV is on 24-hour programming, the urge to channel surf is inherent for the target consumer. Regular local stations however, at past midnight, would typically sign off and leave color bars or their static ID on air until they resume regular programming. We saw this as the perfect opportunity for the Counting Sheep ad to be looped during this period.

At the fraction of the cost of placing ads on primetime, this simple media innovation increased deliveries in the wee hours by 31%. It also contributed to a boost in total late-night transactions at McDonald’s stores at an average of 122%.