McDonald’s Netherlands embraces the “terrible” side of Christmas in new AI spot via TBWA\Neboko
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TBWA\NEBOKO has put a bold creative twist on the holiday season for McDonald’s Netherlands, steering away from the usual glossy cheer and instead celebrating the beautifully chaotic reality of December. The centrepiece is a playful rework of the iconic Christmas classic, transforming It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year into a wryly honest “most terrible time of the year.”
The agency used this reinterpretation as a springboard for a series of exaggerated, hyper-relatable December moments, each pushed to absurdity through a fully AI-driven production approach. Working with Sweetshop’s AI innovation division, The Gardening.club and Los Angeles directing duo MAMA (Sweetshop UK), TBWA\NEBOKO crafted its first end-to-end AI commercial, blending real production sensibility with the surreal energy AI makes possible.
The film leans into everyday pre-Christmas tension including jammed schedules, unrealistic expectations and domestic chaos. Rather than disguise it, the creative embraces the mess, using humour and visual exaggeration to spotlight the collective sigh many people feel this time of year.
McDonald’s Netherlands
Marketing Manager: Karin van Prooijen
Creative Agency: TBWA\Neboko
CCO: Darre van Dijk
Production Company: Sweetshop UK
Director: MAMA
Executive Producer/Producer: Morgan Whitlock
AI Production team: TheGardening.Club
Visual Effects Lead / Lead AI Artist: Jon Baxter
Producer: Angela Jackson-Betts
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