McDonald's has removed a holiday commercial produced via AI after encountering widespread public disapproval.
The 45-second ad was developed using AI video tools and was originally uploaded publicly for McDonald's Netherlands on 6 December.
Audience Response and Decision to Pull
Shortly after its release, commenters criticized the employment of AI in the commercial. Many called it "disturbing" and "awkwardly stitched together".
"This experience serves as an key learning as we examine the effective use of generative technology," stated a statement from the company.
The commercial was created for the brand by Netherlands-based agency TBWA\Neboko and American production company The Sweetshop. It showed a series of situations that can go wrong over the Christmas break, with the slogan "the worst time of the year".
A Growing Movement of AI-Generated Ads
Campaigns that incorporate generative AI have become a growing phenomenon among large brands, especially for the holiday period.
- Coca-Cola has recently released back-to-back AI-generated Christmas commercials.
- Inherent Limitations: As segments created using generative AI are more likely to degrade the longer they run, most such clips tend to be roughly a few seconds in length.
- Broader Implications: The video also provoked worries about the replacement of human roles in the advertising sector, with some observers pointing out it might negatively impact work for camera crews.
Defense from the Creators
Following the ad being taken down, The Sweetshop's head, Melanie Bridge, stood by the project.
Bridge claimed, the creation required "over a month and a half" and involved producing "thousands of takes" which were then edited during the edit "in the same way we would on any standard production".
"This was not an experiment," Bridge asserted. "The result was a film."
Mixed Public Reception
While the Dutch McDonald's ad was largely panned, the reception for some AI-generated campaigns has been more mixed.
For instance, a recent AI-created holiday spot from another major brand reportedly achieved a 61% "positive feedback" from the public.
However, various brands have likewise received scrutiny for employing AI in their campaigns. Italian brand Valentino, for example, was criticized for ads that critics described as "cheap" and "uncanny".
The situation illustrates the ongoing discussion within the marketing and production industries about the balance between AI efficiency and audience reception.
