Hand-Drawn Holiday Ads Contrast AI Backlash
Marketing teams planning seasonal creative should weigh audience reaction to AI-generated spots against handmade alternatives.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Advertising
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Prada released a holiday campaign built on hand-drawn animation by John Pomeroy, a former Disney and Simpsons Movie animator, using pencil and paper rather than generative tools. The release arrives as Coca-Cola and McDonald's Christmas ads that used AI drew online criticism, a contrast operators in advertising and creative production will weigh.
Why it matters
The campaign reflects a visible divergence in holiday advertising: a luxury brand leaning into handmade craft while other large brands have faced backlash for AI-generated spots. For marketing teams, the reception of AI-made creative is becoming a brand-perception variable, not just a cost decision.
The extraction contains no quantitative performance or cost figures for the campaigns discussed. The only dated benchmarks are Coca-Cola's AI ads released in 2024 and 2025, the first of which drew negative feedback.
The players
Prada
Italian luxury fashion house known for high-end apparel, leather goods and accessories, with a global retail footprint.
John Pomeroy
Animator with prior work on Disney classics including Winnie the Pooh and on The Simpsons Movie, who led the hand-drawn production.
Coca-Cola
Global beverage company whose AI-generated holiday advertising in 2024 and 2025 drew public criticism.
McDonald's
Global quick-service restaurant chain whose AI-generated Christmas advertisement drew online criticism.
The details
Prada's campaign, titled 'Draw Prada,' fuses photography with illustrated environments executed entirely by hand, with pencil and paper as the production tools. Pomeroy assembled a group of former industry collaborators to produce the work, and Prada asked actors Sadie Sink, Chen Haoyu, Luther Ford, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Maya Hawke to join the campaign. The approach places human-drawn craft at the center of the creative, in contrast to the AI-generated spots from Coca-Cola and McDonald's.
Timeline
2024: Coca-Cola released an AI ad that drew negative feedback.
2025: Coca-Cola released another AI-generated Christmas ad.
November 3, 2026: Prada published its hand-drawn holiday campaign.
Market Landscape
The campaign lands after Coca-Cola's 2024 AI ad drew negative feedback and its 2025 AI Christmas spot followed, establishing a pattern of large brands testing generative tools in seasonal marketing. Prada's handmade alternative positions craft as a differentiator against that trend.
Marketing teams should weigh how audiences react to AI-generated creative before committing to it for seasonal campaigns, since Coca-Cola and McDonald's drew criticism. Creative and production leads may also reassess whether handmade or traditional craft could serve as a brand-differentiating option.
The takeaway
For advertising operators, audience reception of AI-generated creative is now a measurable risk alongside production savings. Track how the Prada campaign and recent AI spots perform in engagement and sentiment as a data point before setting your own holiday creative mix.
Further reading
For broader context on how brands are deploying generative tools in campaigns, see the Advertising section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Cybernews.
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