Overview
- The YouTube upload first had comments disabled and was later set to private, though reposts of the 45-second spot continue to circulate on social platforms.
- The campaign was commissioned for McDonald’s Netherlands by TBWA\NEBOKO and produced by The Sweetshop with its AI division The Gardening.club, and outlets described it as fully AI-generated.
- The ad shows a rapid montage of holiday mishaps set to lyrics recasting “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” as “the most terrible time of the year,” a tone and look widely criticized as off-putting.
- The Sweetshop defended the work in statements, saying “AI didn’t make this film. We did,” and detailing thousands of AI iterations, compositing, and artifact removal, with one detailed post later reported as deleted.
- Industry coverage places the episode alongside recent AI holiday ads from Coca‑Cola and Toys"R"Us that drew similar public criticism over quality, authenticity, and brand risk.