A Christmas campaign built with generative AI
Mirakl, the ecommerce software and marketplace platform provider, has launched a global Christmas campaign built around a 60-second brand film titled “Santa Quits”. The creative twist is not the plot. It is the production method. The film was created with AiCandy Australia, with every character and scene generated via AI, then shaped into a finished narrative through human creative direction and filmmaking craft.
The story. Santa resigns. The world panics. An elf restarts operations
In the film, Santa resigns under modern seasonal pressure, triggering worldwide protests as people demand Christmas be saved. The resolution is deliberately on-theme. An elf restarts the operation using “agentic commerce” powered by Mirakl Nexus, restoring gift delivery in time for Christmas Eve.
Why a #B2B brand film is suddenly the sharpest product demo
This is the part that matters for marketers. Mirakl is using AI to tell a story about AI-powered commerce. The plot is a metaphor for the underlying message. When expectations become impossible, legacy operations break. You need infrastructure designed for the age of AI agents, not just more people and more dashboards.
That is also why the film lands beyond the seasonal punchline. It frames “agentic commerce” as an operating model, not a feature. In a world where agents search, compare, and transact on behalf of customers, brands need systems that keep product data, availability, pricing, and promises coherent at scale.
The production lesson. AI does not replace craft. It changes the economics of craft
AiCandy’s claim is not that AI makes creativity optional. It is that AI filmmaking can deliver cinematic work faster and on tighter budgets, as long as human direction stays in charge of narrative, tone, and finishing. Mirakl, in parallel, positions the campaign as a proof point that it understands the AI shift in commerce deeply enough to build for it, and market it, at the same time.
The takeaway. Do not copy the gimmick. Copy the system
If you are tempted to reduce this to “AI-made ad”, you miss the strategic move. The film works because it connects three things into one coherent story:
- A familiar cultural moment (Christmas pressure).
- A clear operational failure mode (the system cannot scale).
- A product truth (agentic commerce needs infrastructure).
That is the blueprint worth stealing. Make your narrative demonstrate the future you are selling. Then make the medium reinforce the message.
A few fast answers before you act
What is “Mirakl Santa Quits”?
“Santa Quits” is a Mirakl global Christmas campaign built around a 60-second brand film. Mirakl positions it as a story about modern commerce pressure and how agentic commerce can restore operations at scale.
Who created the film and how was it produced?
The film was created by AiCandy Australia. Mirakl states that every character and scene was produced via generative AI, then shaped into a finished narrative through human creative direction and filmmaking craft.
What does “agentic commerce” mean in this context?
In this story, agentic commerce refers to software-driven agents that can execute commerce operations with a degree of autonomy, such as coordinating tasks and workflows to restart and run delivery operations. In the film’s narrative, an elf uses agentic commerce powered by Mirakl Nexus to restore gift delivery.
Why is this campaign notable for marketers?
Mirakl intentionally uses AI to tell a story about AI-powered commerce, aligning message and medium. It is also a concrete example of generative AI being used for a brand film, paired with human creative direction, to reach a cinematic outcome under real constraints.
What’s the real business point behind the “Santa Quits” story?
The plot frames seasonal demand as an operational stress test. The resolution suggests that automation and agentic systems can restart and scale commerce operations quickly, restoring reliability when timelines are non-negotiable.
Does this prove generative AI can replace human filmmaking?
No. The campaign itself argues for a hybrid model. Generative AI produces characters and scenes, while human creative direction and filmmaking craft shape the final narrative and quality. The value is speed and efficiency with maintained editorial control.
What is a practical way to apply this idea without making “AI theatre”?
Start with one high-frequency content format and define clear quality criteria and approval checkpoints. Then measure cycle-time, cost, and consistency. If you cannot show repeatable outcomes, you are experimenting, not building a scalable capability.