Despite having only one official timezone, the Philippines has long been notorious for welcoming the New Year at a range of different times. Pizza Hut saw an opportunity to reinforce its long-running “Hate Late?” platform by addressing this cultural quirk head-on. If punctuality was the brand promise, then what better challenge than helping an entire country start 2012 exactly on time?
In partnership with the DOST (Department of Science and Technology) and the Discovery Channel, Pizza Hut staged a national “rehearsal countdown” on December 30th—a first-of-its-kind time-synchronisation event designed to align the public to the official Philippine Standard Time. What began as a playful idea transformed into a full celebration: a live parade, fireworks display, celebrity performances, and a broadcast carried by the country’s largest television network.
The result was a cultural moment. Millions of Filipinos—those at the event, at home, and on air—synchronised their clocks and counted down together. For the first time, the nation welcomed the New Year on time, united by a brand whose promise was simply to never be late.
Awards: Gold in Ad Stars 2012 PR Category / In Directory 2012: Best Ideas in Marketing
