AI-generated Coca-Cola ad jeered as soulless and eerie

The iconic Coca-Cola holiday advertisement has entered a new era as the beverage giant unveils an AI-generated version of its classic “Holidays Are Coming” campaign for the 2024 UK season.

The transformation: Coca-Cola’s new 16-second advertisement represents a complete departure from traditional production methods, being entirely generated by artificial intelligence without human creative input.

• The AI-created scene depicts the familiar Coca-Cola truck journeying through a snow-covered landscape before arriving in a town
• Santa Claus appears only partially, with just his hand shown distributing Coca-Cola Zero Sugar bottles to enthusiastic townspeople
• The conspicuous absence of Santa’s face marks a significant deviation from the original 1995 advertisement

Technical innovation: Coca-Cola developed its proprietary “Real Magic AI” system through collaborations with Bain & Company and OpenAI to create this groundbreaking advertisement.

• The system integrates GPT-4 and Dall-E technologies to process and learn from Coca-Cola’s extensive 138-year creative archive
• This AI implementation builds upon Coca-Cola’s earlier “Create Real Magic” campaign, which utilized AI for digital billboard advertising in 2023

Corporate perspective: Coca-Cola’s European leadership frames this technological shift as a strategic modernization of their holiday marketing approach.

• European CMO Javier Meza emphasizes the company’s intention to contemporize the “Holidays Are Coming” concept
• Consumer testing reportedly yielded positive responses to the AI-generated content
• The company positions this innovation as a natural evolution of their marketing strategy

Critical reception: While the technical achievement is notable, questions arise about the preservation of the advertisement’s emotional resonance.

• The AI version’s shorter duration and altered presentation of iconic elements have sparked discussion about maintaining brand authenticity
• The removal of Santa’s full appearance represents a significant departure from the traditional holiday imagery associated with the brand

Future implications: This bold move by a major global brand to fully embrace AI-generated content may signal a broader shift in advertising approaches, though the balance between technological innovation and maintaining emotional connections with consumers remains a critical consideration.