McDonald's has pulled a holiday advert produced via AI following encountering significant public disapproval.
The short spot was developed with the help of AI-generated video and was initially released on the YouTube channel for McDonald's Netherlands back on 6 December.
Audience Reaction and Decision to Pull
Following its publication, viewers on social media lambasted the employment of AI in the film. Several described it as "creepy" and "poorly edited".
"This moment serves as an valuable lesson as we investigate the effective application of generative technology," stated a statement from the company.
The advert was produced for the brand by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and American production company The Sweetshop. It portrayed a series of things that often go badly during the holidays, under the slogan "the worst time of the year".
The Trend of AI in Advertising
Campaigns that include AI tools have emerged as a increasing phenomenon among major corporations, particularly for the holiday season.
- Coca-Cola has recently launched back-to-back AI-generated holiday ads.
- Technical Challenges: Because videos produced using generative AI are susceptible to distort the longer they run, the majority of such clips tend to be roughly a few seconds in length.
- Broader Implications: The video also raised concerns about job displacement in the creative sector, with some commenters noting it might reduce work for camera crews.
Response from the Production Company
After the commercial being pulled, The Sweetshop's head, Melanie Bridge, stood by the project.
Bridge claimed, the development required "over a month and a half" and involved generating "thousands of takes" which were then shaped in post-production "in the same way we would on any high-craft production".
"This wasn't just an experiment," Bridge asserted. "It was a film."
Mixed Public Reception
While the McDonald's ad was mostly panned, the reception for other AI-generated holiday ads has been more mixed.
For instance, a recent AI-created Christmas ad from another major brand reportedly received a 61% "positive feedback" from online commenters.
However, various brands have also received backlash for employing AI in marketing. Italian fashion house Valentino, for example, was lambasted for ads that critics called "lazy" and "uncanny".
The incident illustrates the continuing discussion within the advertising and production sectors about the trade-off between new tools and audience reception.
