‘Ruined my Christmas spirit’: McDonald’s removes AI-generated ad after backlash; Agence France-Presse via The Guardian, December 10, 2025

Agence France-Presse via The Guardian; "Ruined my Christmas spirit’: McDonald’s removes AI-generated ad after backlash

"Melanie Bridge, the chief executive of the Sweetshop Films, the company which made the ad, defended its use of AI in a post on LinkedIn.

“It’s never about replacing craft, it’s about expanding the toolbox. The vision, the taste, the leadership … that will always be human,” she said.

“And here’s the part people don’t see: the hours that went into this job far exceeded a traditional shoot. Ten people, five weeks, full-time.”

But that too sparked online debate.

Emlyn Davies, from the independent production company Bomper Studio, replied to the LinkedIn post: “What about the humans who would have been in it, the actors, the choir?

“Ten people on a project like this is a tiny amount compared to shooting it traditionally live action.”

Coca-Cola recently released its own AI-generated holiday ad, despite receiving backlash when it did the same last year.

The company’s new offering avoids close-ups of humans and mostly features AI-generated images of cute animals in a wintry setting."

THE CHALLENGE OF REBRANDING DONALD TRUMP; New Yorker, 8/26/16

John Cassidy, New Yorker; THE CHALLENGE OF REBRANDING DONALD TRUMP:

"A successful rebranding campaign has to have two elements. It must be surprising enough to attract people’s attention and make them think again about a company or product. And it must be credible...

If he’s looking for guidance from the corporate world, Trump could do worse than reading up on the recent history of McDonald’s. In the early two-thousands, the world’s largest fast-food chain was facing big challenges. With consumers becoming more discerning and health-conscious, its business model of selling cheap, fried, artery-clogging fare had come under heavy fire, with critics such as Eric Schlosser, the author of “Fast Food Nation,” attacking its products, its cooking methods, and its treatment of its employees. McDonald’s sales growth was flagging, and so was its stock price.

The company launched a major rebranding campaign."