McDonald's Netherlands Removes AI-Generated Christmas Ad After Backlash
McDonald's Netherlands division has removed an AI-generated Christmas advertisement following online backlash and international media coverage. The ad, titled "the most terrible time of the year," depicted holiday chaos and encouraged viewers to retreat to McDonald's until January. Visuals in the campaign included Santa stuck in a traffic jam and a gift-laden Dutch cyclist slipping on snow.
McDonald's Netherlands explained that the aim was to portray stressful moments during the holiday season in the Netherlands, while acknowledging that many guests view the period as the most wonderful time of the year. The creative project involved a small team of ten people over five weeks, with Sweetshop Films CEO Melanie Bridge defending the use of AI as expanding the creative toolbox, emphasizing that human leadership remained central to the process. Emlyn Davies of Bomper Studio questioned the lack of real performers and noted that the project utilized a smaller team than typical traditional shoots.
This development follows Coca-Cola's release of its own AI-generated holiday advertisement amid similar backlash last year; Coca-Cola's new version minimizes close-ups of humans and features AI-generated animals. McDonald's decision to remove the ad came after substantial social-media criticism. The article was published on December 11, 2025, and last modified on December 12, 2025.
