Tag: Warsaw

Theraflu Thermoscanner

With the start of the flu season, Theraflu in Poland wanted to create a tool that enabled passersby to check if they have a fever without actually interrupting their daily commute.

So Saatchi & Saatchi developed the world’s first outdoor ad with a live thermo-scanner camera, which could check the body temperature of the person standing next to it in real time.

The thermo-ad also enabled users to take a thermo-selife (which they could download from a microsite or via a QR code) and share it on social media using the hashtag #TherafluThermoscanner or send it by email to their boss to explain their absence.

Touch the sound

PolskieRadio.pl is a news portal with the largest radio recordings database in Poland. To promote them at one of the biggest science fairs in Europe – Science Picnic, their agency Hypermedia Isobar created a special event.

Using 3D printing technology, they printed out some of the most famous historical radio recordings. Visitors were then allowed to touch these important sounds of the XX century.

Last year tourists visiting the La Rambla neighborhood in Barcelona were also able to experience the same 3D printing technology. But at that time they were able to pose and create their very own three-dimensionally statues.

McDonalds Hamburger Timetable

You wait for a train at Warsaw’s Central Station and check the departure board. Everything looks normal at first. Destination, track number, platform. Then you notice the twist. The wait time is not shown in minutes. It is shown in hamburgers, cokes and fries.

The idea. Make waiting feel shorter by making it measurable

McDonalds in Poland finds a creative way to make waiting for the train less agonizing for passengers and more profitable for its trainside location. The board translates delay time into a simple, food-based unit people instantly understand.

How it works at the station

In cooperation with PKP (Polish State Railways), McDonalds installs a special timetable about 50 meters from the main hub of Warsaw’s Central Train Station. It displays departure time, destination, track number, and platform information as usual. The difference is the wait and delay time, which appears as burgers, cokes and fries.

Why this lands as a smart retail nudge

The mechanic does not interrupt. It reframes the moment. If you have “two burgers” worth of waiting, grabbing food becomes the obvious way to spend the time. It is utility first, brand second, and that is why it feels clever rather than pushy.

What the result signals

While making the train station a more enjoyable place for waiting passengers, McDonalds sees an increase of 4,500 customers in the first month itself.

A few fast answers before you act

What is the McDonalds Hamburger Timetable?

It is a train timetable that displays delay and waiting time as McDonalds menu items, like burgers, fries and Coke, instead of minutes.

Why does converting minutes into food items influence behaviour?

Because it makes the wait feel like “time you can spend” rather than “time you lose”. It also provides a natural suggestion for what to do next without using a hard call-to-action.

What is the core design lesson?

Translate a boring metric into a simple, brand-linked unit that is immediately understood, and place it exactly where the decision happens.

Where else can this pattern work?

Any waiting context with nearby commerce. Transit hubs, queues, ticketing areas, and event entry points all benefit when “time to kill” becomes “time to enjoy”.