Did McDonald’s just release an AI Christmas ad so unsettling they had to pull it?
The Netherlands launched it. The internet revolted. The brand deleted it.
This was not a side project. Titled “The Most Terrible Time of the Year, » and created by TBWANEBOKO for McDonald’s’s Netherlands, the concept aimed to explore a darker, more chaotic take on holiday stress through AI.
The holiday season is when brands and agencies bring their A game. But even then, not everything lands the way it’s intended to.
To their credit, the team wanted to see what a fully AI produced Christmas spot could deliver when guided by real creative direction.
The reactions were intense. Some called it chaotic and creepy. Others said it was a new low for AI in branding. A few argued it was simply early experimentation.
How far can brands push AI in storytelling before audiences reject it?
This ad exposed the gap between speed and soul. The strange expressions. The odd character movements. The emotional flatness. It showed what happens when the tech moves faster than our ability to shape it into something that feels human.
But maybe every new creative technology has a moment like this. A misstep that teaches everyone where the guardrails should be.
Curious where you land on this.
Is this a warning sign or just growing pains in the shift to AI powered creativity? 🤔