McDonald’s Drops an AI Christmas Ad – And It Somehow Looks Worse Than Coca-Cola’s
McDonald’s Netherlands has released a new Christmas commercial, but this one stands out for a surprising reason. Instead of using traditional filming, the company created the entire ad with AI.
The short video focuses on the chaos many people feel during the holidays and calls this busy season “The Most Terrible Time of the Year.” The idea and details about the project were shared through reporting on McDonald’s Netherlands and its creative partners.
McDonald's has unveiled its own AI-generated Christmas ad that somehow looks even worse than Coca-Cola's.
— 80 LEVEL (@80Level) December 8, 2025
Terrible AI visuals? Check. Horrible messaging? Check. A like-to-dislike ratio that says it all? Oh, you better believe that's a check:https://t.co/XQHnVLoG5T pic.twitter.com/Vestu3uNJS
The ad doesn’t try to look warm or polished. Instead, it leans into the messy side of December. It shows scenes filled with stress, fast schedules, and the pressure to keep up with holiday expectations. The project was developed with the agency TBWA\NEBOKO and produced with Sweetshop, which has been experimenting with AI through its division The Gardening.club.
A directing team known as MAMA helped shape the final style, pushing the visuals in a more exaggerated and comedic direction.
Even though McDonald’s Netherlands wanted something new and playful, the ad’s heavy use of AI has started a debate online. Many social media users commented on how different it looks compared to other McDonald’s campaigns around the world. Some people felt the ad was interesting, while others were not impressed at all.
One viewer wrote, “The difference in how the Japanese branch and American branch advertise is so jarring. Japanese McDonalds constantly collabs with popular internet artists… even when they did an AI ad.” Another person said, “I think this is bad for all the reasons that they didn’t want it to be bad.”
Others joked about how quickly the ad looked like it was put together, with one post saying, “Did they literally just splice together 6 second generations lol?” Someone else reacted with, “Wow, will definitely NOT be going to McDonald’s this Christmas.”
Some comments were harsher, like, “Visual slop to go along with the edible slop. Quite fitting actually.” Another viewer pointed out how fast AI changes, saying, “The thing is that new models are coming out so quickly that a project that isn’t completed very quickly feels outdated when it is finished.”
The ad has clearly started a conversation. For some, it’s an interesting look at how AI might change advertising. For others, it feels unfinished or rushed. But no matter the view, people are talking about it, and that seems to be what McDonald’s Netherlands achieved.
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