McDonald's most terrible discussion of the year?

December is considered the most wonderful time of the year, but for many people, it’s also the most stressful. McDonald’s capitalized on this with a twist on the Christmas classic: “It’s the most terrible time of the year.” What was intended as a clever reversal, however, seemed to turn out to be exactly that for the brand itself: a terrible time of the year.

Creative Courage Under Fire

For its Christmas commercial, McDonald’s opted entirely for AI-generated imagery. Within the marketing industry, that choice was initially praised as bold and distinctive. Online, however, the focus quickly shifted from the message to the use of AI. Criticism mounted and ultimately led McDonald’s to take the commercial offline.

A hasty reaction?

This put McDonald’s in a dilemma that more and more brands are grappling with: how do you balance creative boldness in an era when AI is a sensitive and polarizing topic? Was pulling the commercial a wise move to limit reputational damage, or did the brand give in too quickly to online outrage?

Let's Get Rid of the Narrow Perspective

To answer that question, Validators put it to the test. Many experts have already shared their opinions on the AI commercial, but they inevitably do so from a professional perspective. That “Media Industry Bias” may differ from how a campaign is actually perceived by the general public. That’s why Validators gave a voice not to marketers, but to consumers.

“Media Industry Bias clouds our view of the field. As a result, we run the risk of making decisions that don’t align with what the target audience actually experiences. That is precisely why it is essential to test our choices with the people for whom they are intended.” – Jordy Roomeijer

On its own initiative, Validators launched a study similar to previous studies that have, among other things, successfully predicted the winner of the Gouden Loekie award. More than 100 nationally representative Dutch participants evaluated the commercial using an implicit measurement method. The ValueFlow™ method was used to measure, on a per-second basis, which scenes evoked positive emotions and where the commercial’s strengths lie.

What does the public really think?

The results paint a strikingly different picture from the online discussion. While there was a lot of criticism on social media, viewers actually responded very positively. McDonald’s stands out (73% vs. 52% benchmark) with its “reverse Christmas” message: the approval rating is well above the benchmark (73% versus 61%). The commercial also performs strongly on an emotional level, with a clearly positive response in the ValueFlow™ (42% versus 29% benchmark).

Setting aside the AI debate, what really stands out is just how powerful the commercial is in terms of content. A strong, positive emotional response is evoked within the first five seconds. That level remains high throughout the entire commercial and peaks after 15 seconds, when a large amount of snow falls on the woman. ValueFlow™ precisely maps out the impact of each scene.

AI: Problem or Side Issue?

For most viewers, the use of AI-generated images hardly plays a role. More than half (59%) did not realize that the commercial was created using AI. Even among those who did recognize this (41%), the rating remained high and above the benchmark (72% versus 61%). Nearly half of those respondents have a positive view of the use of AI, while only a quarter have a negative view; the rest remain neutral.

When the use of AI is explicitly mentioned, the approval rating does drop (from 75% to 58%), but for the majority of viewers, their opinion does not change. For example, 68% say their opinion of the commercial remains the same after learning that AI was used. Viewers who noticed the use of AI on their own generally have no problem with it. “I think it’s fine; it’s just a fun and well-made clip,” said one respondent.

Even among the group that was informed of this later, the majority remains positive. “As far as I can tell, it doesn’t matter whether it was made with AI or not—it’s still very funny.” The drop in ratings is mainly caused by a relatively small group that reacts very strongly. It is precisely this vocal minority that largely sets the tone of the online discussion, thereby drowning out the larger group that simply finds the commercial fun and well-made.

A missed opportunity

Everything points to the fact that McDonald’s had struck gold. The Christmas commercial was very well received by the general public and could easily have competed for awards for the best Christmas commercial of the year. Instead, the brand with the golden arches let itself be swayed by a small but vocal minority that reacted fiercely online. It wasn’t the AI images themselves that were the problem, but the attention drawn to them by pulling the commercial. This shifted the focus from a well-received commercial to a side issue that was barely relevant to most viewers.

MarketingTribune, Dec. 19, 2025