Few ‘billboards’ require the aid of physicists. But creating an actual working sundial was a painstaking, mind-boggling feat of engineering.

Countless drawings, CAD diagrams, calculations, charts, satellite imagery, scale models – all went into producing a billboard that featured the McDonald's ‘M’ moving with the sun to highlight breakfast items that kept accurate time. Finding the right location was another challenge: the board needed to be both in a high-traffic area and south-facing.

Overall dollar sales increased by 9% in an industry that measures growth by hundredths of one percent. Moreover, PR return on investment was extraordinary. Local broadcast media picked up the story, as did national and international publications including Business Week and Esquire. Online, the sundial was a huge buzz on thousands of international blogs.