McDonald's was forced to pull a European ad titled 'The Most Terrible Time of the Year' that satirized many of the activities people associate fondly with this time of year.Gene J. Puskar/The Associated Press
There’s a scene in the 2005 comedy Wedding Crashers in which the character played by Owen Wilson warns Rachel McAdams’ character that her snarky toast to the bride and groom will fall flat because it’s tone-deaf to the sentiment of the occasion.
People go to weddings because “they want to believe they’re in the presence of true love,” he tells her, and insulting the newlyweds, even if the barbs are true, is risky business. She doesn’t listen, and her attempts to be funny bomb, before she changes direction and embraces his advice.
This holiday season, McDonald’s Corp. lived its own version of that scene. The fast-food giant insulted tradition by making fun of Christmas in its advertising – and paid an embarrassing reputational price.
Earlier this month, the company was forced to pull a European ad titled “The Most Terrible Time of the Year” that satirized, in dark and sometimes violent ways, many of the activities people associate fondly with this time of year.
There was widespread pushback from customers about the 45-second spot, which was generated using artificial intelligence and features several vignettes that lampoon Christmas traditions. The soundtrack is a mean-spirited version of the holiday favourite song, It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.
Among the scenes are a man hanging upside down in a string of Christmas lights he is putting on his house; a family whose car-top boxes of gifts are smashed when they drive under a low overpass; a gift-laden bicyclist getting splashed by a passing car; a skater pratfalling on a rink; a standoff between Santa Claus and a pushy driver; a teddy bear being assaulted by crazed shoppers; burned gingerbread cookies; carollers whose song sheets are blown away by a strong wind; a dog toppling a Christmas tree and a man getting sprayed when a kitchen mixer goes awry.
In a breathtakingly nasty scene, a woman carrying shopping bags is choked and whisked away by a streetcar when her scarf gets caught in its folding doors.
The kicker shows a man walking into a McDonald’s restaurant to escape the chaos, as the soundtrack urges people to “hide out in McDonald’s until January’s here.”
The ad had a mercifully short lifespan and limited exposure. It debuted online in the Netherlands on Dec. 6 and was pulled on Dec. 9. As customer blowback grew, the company blocked the posting of comments on social media before killing the ad.
McDonald’s and its ad agencies defended the spot, suggesting that it was trying to empathize with people about the stressful moments associated with the holiday season by portraying them in a lighthearted way.
Ask any advertising industry veteran and they will tell you our culture has evolved to the point where we can’t take a joke any more, and that tongue-in-cheek can quickly become foot-in-mouth.
Toronto ad industry veteran Jim Whitney said humour in advertising is always risky, and few companies do it well.
But dark humour, particularly in today’s hypersensitive, easily offended culture, is a valley of death, especially when it makes fun of things that are so steeped in sentiment such as Christmas, no matter how truthful the spoofing may be.
“Humour has become a cultural third rail,” Mr. Whitney said. “Brands need to be extremely careful to ensure that if they use humour, it is put in proper context, otherwise it won’t work.”
Mr. Whitney added that the McDonald’s decision to embrace dark humour in the Christmas spot was very off-brand. After all, this is a company that has spent decades cultivating a friendly, sunny, welcoming image. This is where Ronald McDonald, the Hamburglar and other cartoon characters live, and even the meals are called “Happy.”
“This was such a curious departure, and has definitely caused some damage to the brand,” Mr. Whitney said.
Some people blame AI for the fumble, suggesting that while it can compute what’s funny, it hasn’t yet learned to understand sensitivity and nuance in context.
Mr. Whitney, who knows the onerous approval process used to get such work to market, is not convinced that humans are blameless. “I find it hard to believe that, at some point during the reviews, someone didn’t put their hand up and question whether or not this was the right thing to do for the brand,” he said.
The lesson, especially in the current cultural environment, is this: Truth in advertising has its limits, even if done in a light way, especially when it comes to things close to the heart.
And a Grinch-y ad like this one isn’t funny if the Grinch doesn’t have a change in his own heart, which we know is already two sizes too small.
Gus Carlson is a U.S.-based columnist for The Globe and Mail.