McDonald's pulls controversial Christmas ad following backlash
McDonald’s has released a statement amid backlash for airing a holiday advert created using artificial intelligence (AI). A spokesperson for the fast food giant has also confirmed the 45-second commercial has been taken down.
On December 6, McDonald’s Netherlands shared a Christmas advert created using generative AI via its official YouTube channel.
The video, created by Dutch company TBWA\Neboko and US production company The Sweetshop, was used to depict that the festive season isn’t always picture-perfect.
Its slogan was ‘the most terrible time of the year’ and was used to suggest that sometimes, a trip to your local golden arches is all you need to stay sane.
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The clip features a song parody of Andy Williams’ ‘The Most Wonderful Time of the Year’ and was heavily criticised online.
"At least the lyrics match the quality,” typed one X user.
Another commented: “McDonald’s makes an ad using AI, a highly contentious & morally contested way to make things.
“Their ad’s message? ‘Hahaha doesn’t Christmas suck? We don’t, though!’ Just a horrible idea in concept & in execution.”
Following the backlash, McDonald’s told FOODbible that it would be pulling the controversial AI-generated Christmas advert.
A spokesperson said that the commercial, produced specifically for McDonald’s Netherlands, was ‘intended to reflect the stressful moments that can occur during the holidays in the Netherlands, but we recognise 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,” the spokesperson continued.
”This moment serves as an important learning as we explore the effective use of AI.”
As of December 9, the promotional clip is no longer available to view.
Following the initial retaliation from social media users Melanie Bridge, CEO of The Sweetshop, came out in her company’s defence.
"AI didn't make McDonald's Christmas ad. We did,” she claimed.
As quoted by Futurism, Bridge said the advert took ‘seven weeks’ and that her team ‘hardly slept’ because ‘thousands of takes’ needed to be ‘shaped’ and edited.
"This wasn't an AI trick," she added. "It was a film.”
The McDonald’s fallout comes just weeks after The Coca-Cola Company released its eyebrow-raising, AI-generated Christmas advert.
The brand was accused online of stripping away the familiarity and warmth of its iconic holiday commercials.
In response, Pratik Thakar, Coca-Cola’s global vice president and head of generative AI, told Today: “Coca-Cola embraces innovation with AI-powered storytelling, bringing beloved holiday traditions and new festive narratives to life”.
“Our new and refreshed ‘Holidays are Coming’ adverts blend our heritage with modern innovation, demonstrating a unique collaboration of human creativity and cutting-edge generative AI.”
Ella Scott