Coca Cola’s AI-generated holiday ad has drawn mixed reactions, with many pointing out “glaring flaws” and claiming it is “devoid of any actual creativity”.
The commercial shows the soft drink giant's red trucks driving through snowy streets, people wearing scarves and knitted hats and a polar bear.
The video, which was intended to pay homage to the company’s 1995 commercial, was created by three AI studios, Secret Level, Silverside AI and Wild Card, according to industry insiders.
Michael Klaehn, discipline lead at QUT College, said Coca-Cola’s Christmas ad showcases both the potential and pitfalls of using AI in creative campaigns.
“On the positive side, AI can be an excellent tool for generating ideas, images, and videos, adding innovation and efficiency to the creative process,” he told AdNews.
“However, this TVC highlights what can go wrong when AI-generated content lacks proper oversight.”
Klaehn said the ad has sparked a ‘spot the errors’ game instead of inspiring festive cheer.
He said Coca-Cola’s latest work is a stark reminder that AI is a tool and not a replacement for the human touch.
“AI should enhance creativity, not undermine it,” Klaehn said.
“The lack of human involvement to refine and validate AI outputs has left a lack of emotion and the execution riddled with mistakes.
“As I often say, ‘It’s the message, not the medium’. No amount of cutting-edge technology can compensate for a lack of creative with that essential emotional element for Christmas.”
Klaehn said the campaign feels “misguided” regardless of the brand’s motivation.
“Creative industries must balance innovation with human input to ensure their work resonates and connects,” he said.
“Use AI to assist, not substitute, and always prioritise clarity and authenticity in storytelling.”
While Jay Pattisall, principal analyst at Forrester, understands the critisicm, he says isn’t the end of creativity as we know it.
“Creator criticism is understandable given fear of job loss and frustration for impact on their craft,” he said.
“Yet these commercials move the marketing industry closer to the point where AI content and advertising production becomes normalised.
“This means complex choices beset brands and executives looking for the best ways to leverage AI.”
Pattisall said one of most exciting prospects for brands is the potential to “do more with less” but training, experience and experimentation are key to building an AI-powered marketing operating system that is cost efficient produce what consumers want
“Coca-Cola’s AI commercials aren’t the brand’s only expression of the holidays, nor are they the end of creativity as we know it but rather part of a combination of machine automation and human intuition that Forrester calls intelligent creativity,” he said.
However, Adrian Elton, an independent creative, finds it ironic that a company which once championed ‘The Real Thing’ slogan has relied entirely on AI for its latest campaign.
“The ‘real thing’ couldn’t be less so,” he said.
“The 2024 Coke ad does a brisk trade in the artificially generated feels department.”
Elton compared the ad to the “car crash” Toys ‘R’ Us’ AI commercial which was slammed over inconsistencies and imperfections earlier this year.
“This has that advertising ‘cosplay’ vibe which makes it seem like an AI bot has written the script and no humanoid has been bold enough to pop up their hand to say, ‘Oi, can we dial back the cheese factor, just a tad?’,” he said.
“At the very least the likes of Coke should be serving up a ballsy Stilton rather than this toddler-grade cheese shtick which looks like it’s come to December 2024 via the very first generation of AI generated video, circa early 2023.”
Elton said AI is an “amazing” tool when it’s used with staunch discernment.
“It most definitely can be deployed to tell nuanced stories that aren’t fifty shades of shite,” he said.
“That in mind, I’d love to see what David Lynch would have come up with for this same brief using AI. Now that’d be real magic.”
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