Intermarché Christmas advert wins over the world without AI

Intermarché’s new Christmas advert has won over viewers online, not just in France. It is proving hugely popular with English-speaking audiences too, making McDonald’s and Coca-Cola’s efforts look decidedly dated.

Artificial intelligence has been everywhere for the past few years. Truly everywhere. A growing number of adverts are now produced with AI assistance, which is a real shame. As the festive season approaches, brands traditionally try to enchant consumers with adverts filled with magic. Yet some companies are more than willing to opt for artificial intelligence instead.

McDonald’s Dutch arm chose AI for its Christmas campaign, while Coca-Cola has doubled down with another entirely AI-generated advert that has missed the mark badly. It is enough to feel disheartened. Thankfully, some companies have avoided the AI trap. With Christmas only weeks away, Intermarché has put magic centre stage again with an advert made by an animation studio, without a trace of artificial intelligence.

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A French advert winning over audiences worldwide

For years, Intermarché adverts have stood apart. Working with the agency Romance, the supermarket chain regularly tells moving, heartfelt stories to promote itself. Its advert “Love” springs to mind, and is available at the end of this article. For the festive period, Intermarché has delivered a genuine Christmas tale brimming with wonder and magic.

Unlike its usual campaigns, this advert uses animation to convey its message. During a Christmas meal, a young boy is given a wolf cuddly toy, which frightens him. His uncle then tells him the story of the first wolf: a solitary creature with no friends. Everyone in the forest fears him. Naturally, he eats everybody. He therefore decides to become vegetarian, learning to cook vegetables and tasty meat-free meals. It becomes a true quest, especially as prejudices continue to follow him.

Spoiler alert: the story has a happy ending. Phew. As the advert concludes: we all have a good reason to start eating better. The dishes shown in this campaign have certainly made our mouths water.

Intermarché’s Le Mal-Aimé brings animation to Christmas

Behind the advert, entitled Le Mal-Aimé in reference to the Claude François song it features, are agency Romance and, above all, French animation studio Illogic. The studio made its name with Garden Party, which was in contention for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 2018, as well as through other adverts for Guerlain and Oasis. With its charming story, irresistibly likeable wolf and flawless animation, this latest advert is faultless.

Social media praise and a rebuke to AI adverts

Social-media users are raving about it. Some shares of the advert have exceeded 10 million views on X, while the YouTube video, uploaded to the supermarket company’s official channel, has just passed 100,000 views. To attract so many views, the film has travelled well beyond France’s borders. Some people are even calling it a lesson for Coca-Cola’s and McDonald’s festive videos, which have not won over audiences at all. We even came across wolf fan art on X.

France shows that artificial intelligence is not yet capable of surpassing human storytelling talent. In 2017, Intermarché also won everyone over with its “Love” advert. Seven years ago, that video used the same codes as the one released this year for the festive season. It just goes to show that a good idea can be interpreted in different adverts.