McDonald's has taken down a holiday advertisement produced via AI following receiving considerable public disapproval.
The 45-second spot was produced with the help of AI video tools and was first uploaded online for the Dutch branch of McDonald's back on 6 December.
Social Media Response and Decision to Pull
Shortly after its release, viewers on social media lambasted the employment of AI in the commercial. Several called it "creepy" and "jarringly assembled".
"This experience is an key learning as we explore the effective use of AI," commented a spokesperson from McDonald's Netherlands.
The advert was developed for McDonald's by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and US firm The Sweetshop. It showed various things that can go wrong over the Christmas break, using the theme "not the most wonderful time of the year".
A Growing Movement of AI-Generated Ads
Adverts that incorporate AI tools have become a increasing phenomenon among prominent companies, particularly for the holiday campaign season.
- Coca-Cola has also launched consecutive AI-generated Christmas commercials.
- Inherent Limitations: As clips produced using generative AI are prone to distort the longer they run, most such clips tend to be roughly a few seconds in length.
- Broader Implications: The ad also sparked worries about the replacement of human roles in the creative sector, with some commenters pointing out it might negatively impact work for actors.
Defense from the Creators
Following the ad being taken down, The Sweetshop's CEO, Melanie Bridge, spoke in support of the advert.
She stated, the development took "over a month and a half" and involved creating "thousands of takes" which were then edited during the edit "just as we would on any high-craft production".
"This wasn't an AI trick," Bridge asserted. "We consider it a finished piece."
Divisive Public Reception
While the Dutch McDonald's commercial was predominantly panned, the response for some AI-assisted holiday ads has been divisive.
For instance, a recent AI-generated holiday spot from another major brand reportedly received a significant "positive feedback" from viewers.
However, various brands have likewise encountered criticism for employing the technique in their campaigns. Luxury brand Valentino, for example, was lambasted for ads that some described as "cheap" and "uncanny".
The situation illustrates the ongoing debate within the advertising and creative sectors about the balance between new tools and audience reception.
