[deltarholamda]

You can tell it's great visual storytelling because you don't even need to know the words.

I guess the McDonald's ad didn't need words either, but it was just depressing and awful.

[ryandrake]

It’s probably a mistake to read too much into it but I can’t help but notice the McDonald’s ad is kind of a mirror held up to all the things that American culture has been progressing into: cynical, mean, isolated, artificial... whatever the opposite of “wholesome” is. Totally off-key for what Christmas is supposed to stand for. Christmas (at least the secular holiday) is supposed to be about kindness, putting differences aside, enjoying people and family, and the commercial was pretty much the opposite of that.

[oneeyedpigeon]

Here in the UK, Tesco is running a pretty similar campaign to the McDonald's one (without the AI): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=711Cq8_E0oI

I think Brits tend to be more cynical than Americans, though, so it kinda tracks.

[bigbinary]

It was generated by McDonald’s Netherlands who said the ad was about Christmas mishaps in the Netherlands.

[mensetmanusman]

There is no agreed on meaning of secular Christmas. It might converge on one some day, but secular culture is literally dying so it has only about 100 years to come up with one.

Merry Christmas!

[Peritract]

> It’s probably a mistake to read too much into it

I disagree; art both reflects and influences culture. If we don't discuss and explore the subtext of things, we're impacted without understanding, and that's never a good position to be in.

[johnnienaked]

I don't think a commercial for a fast food joint can reflect an entire nation let alone the other 174 it has restaurants in.

[Extropy_]

What was the McDonald's ad? Could you drop a link, perhaps?

[troyvit]

Here's a guardian link that tells the story and includes the ad: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/dec/11/mcdonalds-r...

[ars]

I liked the McDonald's ad quite a bit because it encapsulated how I feel about this time of year - although I've never in my life eaten in a McDonald's and don't intend to start.

[Aloha]

I thought the McD add was hilarious - I would have preferred it not be AI.

[johnnyanmac]

The ad felt like a family guy skit. And animated about as well as modern FG animation.

I guess that will speak to if you will find the ad funny or just depressing. I don't think the Ai helped either way.

[abc123abc123]

Yes, it was brilliant! As for AI, who cares? It's a commercial. Laugh, and move on.

[anonzzzies]

I thought the McDonalds one was good and what does it matter it was AI ; mcdonalds makes artificial food and everything about the place is artificial so why not artificial ads?

[qingcharles]

I'm pro-AI but I thought the Coca-Cola and McDonald's ads were shit. The Coke one was especially egregious because if the creators hadn't been lazy they could have made it look half-decent. Instead it's janky and inconsistent and ugly.

[fogj094j0923j4]

>artificial food

As if people are not "cooking" the exact same food bought from these supermarkets.