Has anyone tried late-night thoughts vs the alternatives [v3]

This came up at a meetup recently and the room was split, so curious what the broader community thinks.

Maybe an unpopular opinion but here we go. For context, I am working with a pretty modest budget so high-end suggestions probably will not land. Mostly thinking out loud — feel free to push back hard.

I tried three different approaches and none of them felt quite right. Quick context: I am relatively new to this and trying to find my footing. Maybe an unpopular opinion but here we go.