McDonald's has taken down a Christmas advertisement made via generative AI following receiving widespread criticism on social media.
The brief ad was created via AI video tools and was initially uploaded publicly for the Dutch branch of McDonald's on 6 December.
Audience Response and Decision to Pull
Soon after it aired, commenters lambasted the implementation of AI in the commercial. A number of called it "creepy" and "awkwardly stitched together".
"This incident serves as an important learning as we explore the proper application of generative technology," said a spokesperson from McDonald's Netherlands.
The advert was created for the brand by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and US production company The Sweetshop. It portrayed a series of situations that might go awry during the holidays, using the slogan "the worst time of the year".
The Phenomenon of AI in Advertising
Campaigns that include AI-created content have become a increasing trend among major brands, particularly for the holiday campaign season.
- Coca-Cola has recently released consecutive AI-generated Christmas ads.
- Technical Challenges: As clips made using generative AI are susceptible to degrade the longer they run, the majority of AI video outputs tend to be only a few seconds in length.
- Industry Concerns: The ad also raised concerns about automation in the creative industry, with some critics stating it could reduce work for camera crews.
Defense from the Production Company
After the video's removal, The Sweetshop's head, Melanie Bridge, spoke in support of the advert.
Bridge claimed, the development took "over a month and a half" and involved producing "thousands of takes" which were then shaped in post-production "just as we would on any standard production".
"This wasn't just an AI trick," she said. "It was a proper commercial."
Divisive Audience Sentiment
While the Dutch McDonald's commercial was mostly panned, the reception for some AI-assisted holiday ads has been more mixed.
For instance, a consecutive AI-created Christmas spot from Coca-Cola according to analysis received a significant "positive sentiment rating" from online commenters.
However, various brands have likewise received backlash for using the technique in marketing. Italian brand Valentino, for example, was lambasted for advertisements that some called "cheap" and "uncanny".
The incident illustrates the continuing discussion within the advertising and creative sectors about the trade-off between technological innovation and audience reception.
