The global fast-food chain has taken down a Christmas advertisement made via AI following encountering significant online backlash.
The brief ad was created via AI video tools and was initially uploaded on the YouTube channel for McDonald's Netherlands on 6 December.
Audience Criticism and Removal
Soon after it aired, audiences online denounced the implementation of AI in the advert. Many called it "creepy" and "jarringly assembled".
"This moment is an important lesson as we investigate the effective application of AI," stated a spokesperson from the company.
The advert was created for the brand by Netherlands-based agency TBWA\Neboko and American firm The Sweetshop. It showed various scenarios that might go awry during the holidays, with the tagline "not the most wonderful time of the year".
A Growing Movement of AI in Advertising
Commercials that feature AI-created content have become a growing phenomenon among prominent companies, notably for the holiday campaign season.
- Another beverage giant has recently launched back-to-back AI-generated Christmas commercials.
- Technical Challenges: As clips produced using generative AI are susceptible to distort the longer they run, most AI video outputs tend to be roughly short in length.
- Industry Concerns: The video also sparked fears about the replacement of human roles in the advertising sector, with some observers noting it could negatively impact work for production staff.
Defense from the Production Company
After the video's removal, a producer's CEO, Melanie Bridge, spoke in support of the advert.
She stated, the production process took "over a month and a half" and involved creating "numerous versions" which were then edited during the edit "just as we would on any high-craft production".
"This was not an AI trick," she said. "We consider it a finished piece."
Mixed Public Reception
While the McDonald's ad was predominantly criticized, the reception for other AI-generated campaigns has been more mixed.
For instance, a consecutive AI-created Christmas ad from Coca-Cola according to analysis achieved a significant "favorable response" from viewers.
However, various brands have also received criticism for using the technique in marketing. Italian brand Valentino, for example, was lambasted for advertisements that some described as "lazy" and "uncanny".
The situation highlights the evolving discussion within the marketing and creative industries about the trade-off between technological innovation and creative integrity.
