McDonald’s Netherlands Pulls AI-Generated Christmas Ad Amid Backlash

Fast-food giant retracts festive video after social media users decry its “creepy” visuals, job displacement fears, and cynical holiday tone

McDonald’s Netherlands withdrew a 45-second Christmas advertisement created with generative AI just days after its December 6 release on YouTube, following widespread online criticism. Viewers slammed the ad’s unsettling character designs, exaggerated gestures, and low-quality visuals—hallmarks of AI-generated content—as “the most dreadful ad” of the year. The company acknowledged the misstep as a “crucial learning opportunity” while exploring AI’s role in marketing.​

Ad Content and Production

The video, titled around “the most terrible time of the year,” depicted holiday mishaps like family arguments and mishandled gifts spiraling into chaos, positioning McDonald’s as a comforting escape. Produced by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and U.S. firm The Sweetshop over seven weeks with “thousands of takes,” it aimed to capture stressful festive moments but struck many as tone-deaf and uninspired. Comments sections filled with mockery before McDonald’s disabled them and set the video to private on December 9.​

Public Backlash and Concerns

Social media erupted with complaints about AI replacing human creatives, erasing jobs for actors, crew, and filmmakers in an industry already disrupted by rapid tech shifts. One Instagram user lamented, “No actors, no camera crew… welcome to the future of filmmaking. And it’s disappointing.” Critics highlighted plastic-like food visuals in similar ads and questioned why such subpar content passed approval. This echoes recent flak for Coca-Cola’s AI holiday campaigns, signaling broader resistance to AI “slop” in high-stakes festive ads.​

McDonald’s stated the ad intended to reflect “hectic moments” during Dutch holidays but recognized many see the season as joyful, committing to “Good Times and Good Food.” The Sweetshop’s CEO defended the effort as rigorous post-production akin to traditional work, not a quick AI dump. Brands increasingly use AI for faster, cheaper campaigns—bypassing year-long productions—but this case underscores risks of alienating audiences wary of uncanny, impersonal output.

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