As December draws to a close, we look back at the year’s most anticipated campaigns: the Christmas ads. Festive campaigns are more than just marketing for many brands, they are moments that resonate strongly with viewers. The yearly John Lewis Christmas advert has become a seasonal tradition in the UK, igniting conversations and bringing people together nationwide. These advertisements are meant to evoke feelings of togetherness, warmth, and nostalgia.
Christmas advertising works because viewers really resonate with that heartfelt storytelling. Because of that, festive campaigns are held to a much higher standard than a typical brand ad. Which is why, when brands experiment with AI in Christmas ads, the audience's expectations rise and the loss of human touch stands out more.
AI and generative AI in modern marketing
AI, especially generative AI, is becoming more mainstream in marketing and is being embedded across creative workflows. From brainstorming and storyboarding to image generation and copywriting, AI delivers speed, scale and efficiency that were once out of reach for brands. Used well, it can reduce production timelines, lower costs, and unlock creative experimentation that might otherwise be impossible.
For brands, the appeal is clear. AI helps them explore multiple creative ideas quickly, tailor campaigns for different audiences and visualise ideas before full production begins. In today's fast-paced world, these tools let brands keep up the pace while still delivering high-quality work.
But while AI can enhance creativity, it also brings new risks, particularly when it feels too impersonal or lacking in human warmth. When audiences sense that something is off, or that care has been replaced by convenience, the response can be rapid. And that’s where some brands have stumbled.
When AI experiments miss the mark
Two of the most talked-about Christmas adverts this year came from global giants Coca-Cola and McDonald’s, both relying heavily on AI-generated elements. Coca-Cola’s ad aired in the UK while McDonald’s ad ran in the Netherlands.
Coca-Cola’s AI-powered holiday campaign was known for its unanticipated glitches. Viewers quickly spotted visual inconsistencies and uncanny details that distracted from the festive message. What should have felt magical instead felt artificial. The criticism wasn’t just about the technology itself, but about what its use seemed to signal: a loss of human touch and lack of care, polish, or respect for the emotional weight Christmas advertising carries.
Similarly, McDonald’s faced backlash over its AI-generated Christmas advert, despite the studio's weeks of work, involving thousands of prompts and iterations. The campaign ultimately felt rushed and soulless. The visuals lacked warmth and the storytelling, crucial during the holiday season, fell flat. This highlights the loss of human touch which is essential with Christmas campaigns. For brands built on familiarity and emotional connection, this was a questionable choice.
In both cases, the reaction wasn’t anti-AI. Instead, audiences questioned why brands known for massive budgets, creative teams and production capabilities chose outputs that felt unfinished. The issue wasn’t experimentation, it was execution. When done incorrectly, AI-generated content can flatten emotion and at Christmas where sentiment is everything, these mistakes are magnified. This doesn’t mean AI has no place in festive marketing, but it does mean brands need to be more careful and thoughtful about how they use it.
AI as a tool - not a replacement
One of the biggest concerns raised by these campaigns is the fear that AI might replace human creativity. However, the best way to use AI isn’t to substitute it for humans; it’s to support them. AI and human creativity can work together. This can mean using AI to improve a creator’s digital likeness or using AI tools for inspiration and ideas instead of completely generating campaigns.
The backlash against these Christmas ads shows something important: audiences can tell the difference between creativity driven by humans and that produced by AI. Experimentation must be done responsibly. Brands should not only ask if they can use AI, but also if they should. They need to think about how audiences will perceive it. Transparency, quality control, and creative oversight are more crucial than ever.
At TrueRights, we strongly support AI. We believe generative tools can create amazing opportunities for brands and creators when used fairly, ethically, and openly. But AI should not come at the cost of the people behind creative work. Creators deserve recognition, compensation, consent, and protection, whether their work is being used directly, referenced, trained on, or replaced.
As brands continue to explore AI-driven campaigns, especially during crucial times like Christmas, the challenge is clear: embrace innovation while keeping human creativity in focus. Use AI to improve storytelling, not to erase the storytellers.
