McDonald's Netherlands withdrew an AI generated holiday commercial shortly after launch following sustained online criticism, according to a Nielsen Norman Group analysis of AI generated advertising.
The spot, titled "The Most Terrible Time of the Year," depicted holiday mishaps including cyclists slipping in snow, Santa Claus stuck in traffic and disastrous family gatherings, positioning the brand as an escape from seasonal stress. Viewers said the ad "ruined Christmas spirits" and labeled the output "AI slop." The clip was pulled and now survives mainly in archived copies held by a marketing research database.
Atlanta based Coca-Cola preceded that campaign with two consecutive seasons of AI generated holiday advertising, both reimagining its 1995 "Holidays Are Coming" spot. The first, in 2024, drew widespread criticism and became the point at which mainstream audiences began pushing back on AI generated brand video. Coca-Cola produced another AI driven version the following season featuring anthropomorphic animals watching the company's delivery trucks.
Nielsen Norman Group attributes the reaction to an absence of authenticity and emotional resonance in the output rather than to technical defects alone.
Consumer sentiment data supports a broader shift. A Harris Poll found consumers report fatigue with AI and place less trust in advertising they suspect was machine generated. By 2026 the reaction had extended past full campaigns, with a single line of apparently AI written copy on a Nike product page in May prompting public discussion of the brand's voice.
Some brands have positioned against the trend. Aerie ran an explicitly anti AI campaign in early 2026.
Source: Nielsen Norman Group - https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ai-ad/