AI-Powered McDonald’s Christmas Ad Fails to Impress

The audience was far from captivated.

McDonald’s attempted to address holiday stress by recommending their fast-food havens, at least according to an AI-crafted commercial which has since been deleted.

Accompanied by a tune depicting Christmas as "the most dreadful time of the year," the ad presented AI-rendered individuals facing an array of winter mishaps—from chaotic family meals and chaotic shopping to not-so-melodic caroling, botched cookie baking, and clumsy tree decorating—all ending poorly. The final advice from the ad: seek refuge at McDonald's until January arrives.

This McDonald's Netherlands commercial was pulled from YouTube, but not before getting uploaded elsewhere. The internet's response was mainly critical, not just of the AI use, but also the ad's execution and messaging. The pushback was no surprise given similar reactions to previous campaigns.

Distinct from Coca-Cola’s approach, which stayed safe with animated critters, McDonald's embraced human portrayals. Yet, many characters disappear mid-narrative, and scenes like the bizarre ice skating fall, with morphing limbs, felt off-key.

The Making of the Ad

The Gardening.club, part of The Sweetshop, which crafted the ad, divulged they invested "seven intense weeks" in its creation, comparing the effort needed to more than what's required for conventional productions.

The Sweetshop's CEO, Melanie Bridge, reiterated how ten people worked full-time for five weeks, pouring immense dedication into crafting each scene to meet the creative vision, often requiring extensive efforts to guide the AI models.