Consumer Resistance to AI-Generated Social Media Ads: Legitimacy Management and Brand Safety Governance

AI-generated advertising can prompt criticism of both the creative work and the company responsible for it. This study compares the controversies surrounding McDonald's Netherlands' Christmas advertisement and Samsung's Galaxy S26 promotion. An exploratory qualitative reading of three public documents examines reported objections, organizational statements, and product positioning. Organizational Legitimacy Theory provides the main framework, supported by brand–technology congruence. The criticism raises questions about human labor, audience benefit, and the purpose of AI use. McDonald's withdrew its advertisement and acknowledged festive expectations. Samsung's later launch communication presents AI as routine product functionality, although the sources do not establish a deliberate response to the advertising controversy. Campaign withdrawal is therefore distinguished from normalization of AI in product positioning. The comparison distinguishes AI's fit with a brand from its suitability for a specific advertising task. It proposes task suitability review as the main practical response, supported by role-specific disclosure and action on particular complaints. The practical contribution is to connect those production decisions with the specific expectations an advertisement creates.