A brand new McDonald’s Netherlands ad has sparked a new controversy among viewers. The AI ad rewrites the Christmas tune into “the most terrible time of the year.” The visuals show December as hectic, messy, and far from picture-perfect. The move was meant to comfort people who feel burned out by the season. However, it has sparked debate about the use of AI.
McDonald’s Netherlands drops new AI ad for Christmas
TBWA\NEBOKO claims that they made the new McDonald’s AI ad as an intentional challenge to holiday norms. “From the start, we wanted to challenge the conventions of holiday advertising. It all started with the idea of rewriting one of the most iconic Christmas songs,” said Darre van Dijk, chief creative officer at TBWA\NEBOKO. The rights holder even approved retitling the track to “the most terrible time of the year.”
The writers wanted to create something out of the ordinary using AI. They even brought the Los Angeles directing duo MAMA on board for the project. Darre added, “And not an almost-AI film, but one with real production value combined with the craziness that AI makes possible. Challenge accepted. Working together with the best prompters, we got to work, and now, together with McDonald’s Netherlands, we have created our first fully fledged AI commercial” (via Little Black Book).
The creative choice has a clear purpose. The campaign team cited new research from MediaTest. It found that roughly two-thirds of Dutch consumers want more time for themselves in December. McDonald’s says the campaign aims to meet that need by being honest about the season’s pressures. They are offering small daily surprises through their app. It is a part of the “December could use a little McDonald’s” ad campaign.
Karin van Prooijen, marketing manager at McDonald’s Netherlands, said, “December is a busy month for everyone. We want to give people something to look forward to each day, not only on the traditional peak dates, and this campaign brings that idea to life in a new way.”
