Coca-Cola’s First AI-Generated Christmas Ad Draws Mixed Reactions: Coca-Cola has made a bold move this holiday season by unveiling its first-ever Christmas commercial entirely created with artificial intelligence (AI). The 15-second ad, a digital reimagining of the brand’s iconic “Holidays Are Coming” campaign, showcases festive Coca-Cola trucks arriving in a snow-covered town. Produced in collaboration with AI studios Secret Level, Silverside AI, and Wild Card, the ad is part of Coca-Cola’s broader effort to blend technological innovation with holiday traditions. While some praise the efficiency and creativity AI brings to advertising, others argue that the commercial lacks the warmth and emotional resonance of its human-made predecessors.
A Technological Leap for Coca-Cola
For years, Coca-Cola’s holiday commercials have been synonymous with the start of the Christmas season. Featuring glowing red trucks driving through snow-filled streets, these ads have captured the magic of the holidays for millions around the world. However, this year, the company took a significant step forward by employing AI tools such as Leonardo, Luma, and Runway to create the visuals for its new Christmas commercial. According to Coca-Cola, the use of AI allowed for faster production and greater flexibility, enabling the creation of multiple versions tailored for different global markets. The technology also facilitated the production of visually compelling scenes from snowy villages to urban cityscapes, ensuring that the ad resonated with a diverse audience.
Pratik Thakar, Coca-Cola’s Vice President and Global Head of Generative AI, emphasized that the company’s goal wasn’t simply cost-cutting, but to explore new creative possibilities. “It’s not about saving money but doing more creatively,” Thakar explained, underscoring how AI enables a faster and more customizable approach to content creation.
Mixed Reactions: Innovation vs. Tradition
While the AI-driven commercial has been hailed as a breakthrough in advertising, it has also sparked significant criticism. Some viewers have expressed disappointment, feeling that the commercial lacks the emotional warmth that Coca-Cola’s holiday ads have traditionally evoked. A key point of contention is the absence of Santa Claus, a staple of the brand’s holiday campaigns. For many fans, the beloved figure is synonymous with the magic of Christmas, and his omission has left them feeling that something vital is missing from the ad.
On social media, viewers voiced their displeasure. One user on X (formerly Twitter) remarked, “The world is so over if the Christmas Coca-Cola advert is made with AI.” Another added, “You killed the magic.” These reactions highlight the growing concern that AI, despite its technical prowess, struggles to capture the emotional depth that human creativity brings to advertising.
However, not all feedback was negative. Supporters of the AI-driven approach praised Coca-Cola for embracing innovation. One viewer commented, “Probably a fraction of the cost, it is what it is. In the future, ‘human-made’ items will be an expensive niche market.” Others pointed to the potential for AI to revolutionize the creative process, providing more opportunities for experimentation and content customization. “100% game changer,” said another supporter, while acknowledging that AI is not a magic solution but a tool for human creativity.
Behind the Scenes: How AI Made It Happen
The process of creating Coca-Cola’s AI-generated holiday ad was described as “revolutionary” by those involved. Working with AI platforms like Stable Diffusion, DALL-E, and ChatGPT, the team was able to produce the ad in record time—within just three days of their first meeting with Coca-Cola. According to Rob Wrubel, co-founder of Silverside AI, the team was able to generate multiple versions of the ad, each customized for different regions and cities. This ability to quickly tailor content for specific markets is a major advantage of using AI in advertising.
“This is a journey, and the only way to move on the journey is to use the tools and make things,” said Wrubel. The team’s success in using AI to streamline the production process raises questions about the future of creative workflows in advertising, with some industry experts speculating that AI could eventually replace traditional creative roles.
The Challenge of Human Representation in AI
One of the key challenges in using AI for this commercial was ensuring the accurate portrayal of human figures. AI-generated human expressions and movements can sometimes appear unnatural, a phenomenon known as the “uncanny valley,” where digital humans look almost lifelike but still feel off. Jason Zada, founder of Secret Level, worked to ensure that the human characters in the ad appeared more realistic. Despite these efforts, some viewers felt that the depiction of Santa Claus and other human figures lacked the warmth and authenticity typically associated with Coca-Cola’s holiday ads.
AI’s struggle with creating lifelike human figures is one of the reasons the ad has garnered mixed reactions. While the AI-generated visuals of the Coca-Cola trucks and snowy towns were widely praised for their beauty, the human characters’ stiff movements and lack of emotional expression left some fans disappointed.
Coca-Cola’s AI Experiment: A New Direction for Advertising?
Coca-Cola’s embrace of AI in its advertising efforts may signal a shift in how global brands approach marketing in the future. By using AI, Coca-Cola was able to reduce production time and costs while also generating creative content that could be easily customized for different markets. The success of the project may encourage other companies to experiment with AI in their own marketing strategies, particularly as AI technology continues to improve.
However, Coca-Cola’s AI-generated commercial also raises important questions about the role of human creativity in advertising. As AI tools become more sophisticated, will there still be a place for traditional artists and creatives in the industry? While AI can quickly generate content, it may struggle to replicate the emotional depth and personal touch that human creators bring to their work.
Conclusion: A Glimpse of the Future of Advertising
Coca-Cola’s first AI-generated holiday commercial has sparked both excitement and controversy, revealing the potential of AI to revolutionize the advertising industry while also highlighting the challenges that come with relying on technology to replace human creativity. As AI continues to play a larger role in creative fields, it remains to be seen whether it can fully capture the emotional resonance that has made Coca-Cola’s holiday campaigns so beloved for decades. In the meantime, Coca-Cola’s venture into AI-generated advertising marks a significant step forward in the blending of technology and tradition, and it may set a new precedent for how brands approach holiday marketing in the future.