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\nMcDonald’s Netherlands released a Christmas ad on YouTube on Dec. 6 themed as “the worst time of the year”The ad quickly drew backlash, with many critics condemning its AI use and negative themeFollowing the criticism, McDonald’s Netherlands removed the ad from its YouTube channel; both McDonald’s and the ad’s design company, TBWA\\Neboko, released statements <\/p>\n
McDonald\u2019s Netherlands is under fire after releasing an AI-generated Christmas commercial in the Netherlands that viewers called \u201ccreepy,\u201d \u201csoulless\u201d and \u201cdepressing.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
The 45-second spot<\/a>, built almost entirely with generative AI, attempted to spoof holiday chaos by labeling December \u201cthe most terrible time of the year.\u201d Instead, it delivered a string of uncanny visuals, including glitchy families, distorted dinners and surreal holiday mishaps.\n<\/p>\n The ad urged people to escape the holiday stress by spending time at McDonald\u2019s, a message many felt clashed with the season\u2019s traditional themes of warmth and togetherness with loved ones at home. Clips from the ad quickly spread on social media, where users mocked the off-putting imagery and questioned why the brand relied so heavily on AI for a holiday campaign that hinged on negativity.\n<\/p>\n The swift backlash also pushed the video into broader online conversations about the growing use of AI in advertising and where consumers draw the line when synthetic content replaces human storytelling. Here’s how the situation unfolded.\n<\/p>\n McDonald’s releases – and then pulls – an AI-generated Christmas ad.<\/p>\n McDonald’s\u00a0<\/p>\n Why Did the McDonald’s Netherlands Christmas Ad Receive Backlash? <\/p>\n The controversy centered on the McDonald’s Netherlands ads\u2019 unmistakably AI-generated look. Instead of traditional actors and sets, the commercial relied on computer-generated scenes that many viewers found unnatural and disjointed.\n<\/p>\n The spot, released on Saturday, Dec. 6, on McDonald’s Netherlands YouTube, included small yet noticeable details from typical holiday scenes \u2014 carolers singing in the street, holiday shopping and stringing Christmas lights outside a home \u2014 where characters moved awkwardly, had inconsistent facial features and mismatched props in the background, creating an eerie effect that distracted from the intended humor.\n<\/p>\n For many online, it became another example of \u201cAI slop,\u201d a term used to describe low-quality, machine-generated media that feels rushed or unrefined.\n<\/p>\n Critics also raised questions about the emotional disconnect of the tone of the remixed 1963 holiday jingle, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”<\/a> by Andy Williams. The updated lyrics included lines like, “All the shops turn to mayhem, leaving Santa no space \/ and the tree redecorated your place. \/ It’s the most terrible time of the year,” as scenes of people fighting over toys in a department store, Santa’s sled got stuck in traffic and an ungodly amount of snow slid off of a builting and on top of a biker.\n<\/p>\n “Even without all the ai slop this ad feels incredibly odd, ditch your family and hide in mcdonalds because christmas sucks???” wrote one YouTube commenter. Another added, “It’s just so cynical. It’s bad enough to use AI, but to use it to make an advertisement telling people to eat at mcdonalds instead of doing holiday stuff is insane.”\n<\/p>\n McDonald’s releases – and then pulls – an AI-generated Christmas ad.<\/p>\n McDonald’s\u00a0<\/p>\n As Christmas ads typically lean into nostalgia, warmth and human connection, the technology\u2019s limitations became even more apparent for those who aim to embrace the holiday spirit. “It really is the most terrible time of the year, because now companies are resorting to AI Christmas ads instead of ones that require human effort and creativity,” wrote one critic.\n<\/p>\n How Did McDonald’s Netherlands Respond to the Backlash? <\/p>\n Within days of its release, McDonald’s Netherlands disabled the comments section on its YouTube after receiving thousands of negative comments from users. Then, the ad was removed from the channel altogether.\n<\/p>\n McDonald’s releases – and then pulls – an AI-generated Christmas ad.<\/p>\n McDonald’s\u00a0<\/p>\n In a statement to PEOPLE, McDonald’s Netherlands confirmed its decision to remove the Christmas ad from its social media. “It was intended to reflect the stressful moments that can occur during the holidays in the Netherlands, but we recognize that for many of our guests, the season is ‘the most wonderful time of the year,'” read the statement. “We respect that and remain committed to creating experiences that offer Good Times and Good Food for everyone.”\n<\/p>\n The ad\u00a0was created by Dutch design company TBWA\\Neboko, per BBC<\/a>. The U.S. production company Sweetshop, TBWA\\Neboko’s parent company, defended the clip after its initial release, highlighting the hard work that went into the spot.\n<\/p>\n