The global fast-food chain has removed a holiday advertisement created via Artificial Intelligence following encountering considerable criticism on social media.
The 45-second spot was produced using AI-generated video and was initially published on the YouTube channel for McDonald's Netherlands on 6 December.
Audience Response and Removal
Following its publication, viewers on social media lambasted the implementation of AI in the film. Many labeled it "creepy" and "poorly edited".
"This moment serves as an key lesson as we examine the effective application of generative technology," commented a statement from McDonald's Netherlands.
The commercial was developed for McDonald's by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and US production company The Sweetshop. It portrayed a series of things that can go wrong over the Christmas break, under the tagline "the most terrible time of the year".
A Growing Phenomenon of AI in Advertising
Campaigns that incorporate generative AI have become a growing phenomenon among large companies, notably for the holiday campaign season.
- Coca-Cola has recently released back-to-back AI-generated Christmas commercials.
- Inherent Limitations: Since clips created using current AI video tools are susceptible to distort the longer they run, most such clips tend to be only short in length.
- Broader Implications: The video also sparked concerns about job displacement in the advertising industry, with some observers stating it might affect work for camera crews.
Response from the Production Company
Following the video's removal, a producer's CEO, Melanie Bridge, defended the advert.
According to her, the creation required "seven weeks" and involved producing "thousands of takes" which were then shaped in post-production "just as we would on any high-craft production".
"This was not an experiment," Bridge asserted. "It was a finished piece."
Divisive Audience Sentiment
While the Dutch McDonald's ad was largely panned, the reception for other AI-assisted holiday ads has been varied.
For instance, a consecutive AI-created holiday ad from Coca-Cola according to analysis garnered a 61% "positive feedback" from viewers.
However, several companies have likewise encountered backlash for using AI in their campaigns. Luxury fashion house Valentino, for example, was lambasted for ads that critics described as "lazy" and "disturbing".
The episode highlights the ongoing debate within the advertising and production industries about the balance between new tools and audience reception.
