McDonald's Netherlands has been forced to take down a Christmas advertisement created using artificial intelligence after it faced severe criticism and backlash from customers online. The fast-food giant pulled the 45-second video from Google's YouTube platform just three days after its release, as negative reactions snowballed across social media.
What Was in the Controversial Ad?
The advertisement, which was posted earlier this week, featured characters entirely generated by AI. The video depicted these digital characters navigating through various holiday mishaps and stressful situations, eventually finding solace at McDonald's outlets. However, instead of resonating with the festive spirit, the ad's execution drew immediate ire.
Viewers were quick to criticise the advertisement's visual quality and its overall theme. Many took to social media platforms to label the content as "AI slop," a term used to describe low-quality, obviously AI-generated content. The backlash grew rapidly, creating a public relations challenge for the company and leading to the ad's swift removal.
A Pattern of AI Ad Criticism
This incident is not isolated in the recent holiday advertising landscape. Just last month, beverage giant Coca-Cola faced similar criticism for its own Christmas campaign that relied heavily on AI. That ad showed anthropomorphic animals gazing in admiration at arriving red Coca-Cola trucks. Social media users were equally unimpressed, with many calling the visuals "disgusting."
These back-to-back incidents highlight the growing public sensitivity and scrutiny towards the use of generative AI in major marketing campaigns, especially for beloved seasonal traditions.
McDonald's Response and Explanation
In response to the controversy, McDonald's Netherlands issued a statement acknowledging the misstep. The company explained that the campaign's intention was to reflect the realistic and sometimes stressful moments that can occur during the holidays in the Netherlands.
"We decided to take down the AI-generated Christmas advert," the company told multiple news outlets. "It was intended to reflect the stressful moments that can occur during the holidays in the Netherlands, but we recognize that for many of our guests, the season is 'the most wonderful time of the year.' We respect that and remain committed to creating experiences that offer Good Times and Good Food for everyone."
This statement serves as both an apology and a clarification of the campaign's original creative goal, while conceding that the final execution failed to connect with the audience.
The Agencies Behind the Campaign
The advertisement was a collaborative effort between two agencies. The creative work was handled by TBWA\Neboko, an advertising agency based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The production was managed by The Sweetshop, a production agency headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand.
In a now-deleted statement reported by Forbes and Futurism, The Sweetshop provided insight into the intensive process behind the ad. The agency claimed its team "hardly slept" for seven weeks while creating the advertisement. They defended the work, stating, "We generated what felt like dailies—thousands of takes—then shaped them in the edit just as we would on any high-craft production. This wasn't an AI trick. It was a film."
Despite this defence, the public's verdict was clear, leading to one of the quickest pullbacks of a major holiday campaign in recent memory. The episode serves as a cautionary tale for brands eagerly adopting generative AI for emotional and culturally significant advertising.
