The global fast-food chain has removed a Christmas advertisement created with generative AI after receiving considerable public disapproval.
The brief spot was developed with the help of generative AI clips and was initially uploaded online for McDonald's Netherlands back on 6 December.
Audience Reaction and Decision to Pull
Following its publication, viewers on social media denounced the employment of AI in the commercial. Several described it as "uncanny" and "poorly edited".
"This incident serves as an valuable learning as we explore the effective application of Artificial Intelligence," stated a spokesperson from McDonald's Netherlands.
The advert was developed for the brand by Netherlands-based company TBWA\Neboko and US production company The Sweetshop. It portrayed a series of scenarios that might go awry over the Christmas break, with the slogan "not the most wonderful time of the year".
A Growing Phenomenon of AI Commercials
Commercials that incorporate generative AI have emerged as a rising phenomenon among large brands, particularly for the holiday campaign season.
- Another beverage giant has recently released consecutive AI-generated holiday commercials.
- Inherent Limitations: Because videos created with generative AI are prone to degrade the longer they run, the majority of such clips tend to be only a few seconds in length.
- Broader Implications: The ad also provoked fears about automation in the creative industry, with some critics stating it might reduce work for camera crews.
Response from the Creators
After the ad being taken down, a producer's CEO, Melanie Bridge, spoke in support of the project.
She stated, the development took "over a month and a half" and involved producing "thousands of takes" which were then shaped afterward "just as we would on any traditional production".
"This was not an AI trick," she said. "The result was a film."
Mixed Public Reception
While the McDonald's ad was mostly panned, the sentiment for other AI-generated holiday ads has been more mixed.
For instance, a recent AI-created Christmas spot from Coca-Cola according to analysis achieved a 61% "favorable response" from the public.
However, various brands have also faced scrutiny for using the technique in marketing. Italian fashion house Valentino, for example, was lambasted for ads that critics described as "cheap" and "disturbing".
The episode underscores the ongoing conversation within the marketing and creative industries about the trade-off between new tools and audience reception.
