McDonald’s made headlines just last week for their use of generative AI, releasing a 45-second Christmas commercial entirely made of generative AI video clips. The fast-food behemoth released the advertisement on its Netherlands YouTube channel on December 6. Nevertheless, rabid audience backlash forced it out to pasture by December 9th. The Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko joined forces with the US production company The Sweetshop to produce the advertisement. Although they intended to demonstrate the power of AI in marketing, it served to bring forth enormous fears about what this new technology will mean.
The creative team focused intensely on the production process of the advert, spending seven weeks on it. While creating thousands of takes, they supposedly lost a lot of sleep. The editing process was focused on polishing these short film clips with the same kind of precision and care usually focused on traditional, long-form film production. This ambitious approach was controversial, as generative AI clips can be prone to distortion when played for longer periods of time. Internal clips created using this approach are typically no longer than six to ten seconds. This incredible short format presented a huge feat, with the need to stitch together an incredible amount of videos.
At least with this wildly cool and creative approach to creativity, viewers wasted no time taking to social media to share their displeasure. Many expressed concerns about job displacement within the film industry, fearing that the reliance on AI could undermine traditional roles such as actors and camera crews. One Instagram user remarked, “No actors, no camera team…welcome to the future of filmmaking. And it sucks.” Another commenter on X described the advert as “the most god-awful ad I’ve seen this year,” reflecting the widespread dissatisfaction with its execution.
In response to the overwhelming feedback, McDonald’s Netherlands acknowledged the public’s reaction, stating, “This moment serves as an important learning as we explore the effective use of AI.” The company emphasized its commitment to understanding how generative AI can be effectively integrated into their marketing strategies while recognizing the potential pitfalls.
The uproar over McDonald’s AI-generated advert isn’t an outlier. Valentino is just one of many brands to be criticized using generative AI in their campaigns. Corporations are quickly using generative AI tools to produce commercial advertisements—and even full-length feature films—in record time. This change creates persistent issues around the quality and authenticity of all the content churned out.