Normally, a brand would be thrilled if its new holiday commercial went viral, but a new McDonald's Netherlands ad has gone viral for all the wrong reasons.

McDonald’s has jumped on the AI-generated holiday-commercial bandwagon to disastrous effect. An ad from McDonald’s Netherlands titled “It’s the most terrible time of the year” was so widely reviled ...

The 2025 Halloween Marketing Awards, plus insights on why these campaigns worked and the trends shaping brands’ seasonal strategy.