Holiday advertisements have become just as notable during the festive season as festive lights and family gatherings. What makes these advertisements so memorable is the range of emotions they can evoke, from sincere heartwarming narratives to jingles that get stuck in your head, these advertisements excel at evoking emotion and nostalgia that bring people together. But aside from all this, holiday advertising gives companies the chance to showcase their creativity and leave their mark during the holiday season by creating something unique that captures the magic of the holiday season. But not every holiday advertisement has sat well with audiences. Most recently, the industry as a whole learned a valuable lesson in what the public is willing to accept, as Coca-Cola, a usual titan advertiser during the holiday season, faced major backlash over their new holiday ad.
Coca-Cola: Holiday Backlash
Coca-Cola paid homage to their iconic 1995 “Holidays Are Coming” advertisement by creating a new 15-second AI generated advertisement that depicted a fleet of cherry red Coca-Cola trucks driving down a snowy road to deliver ice-cold bottles of Coke to customers in a festively decorated town. There was a small disclaimer in this advertisement video informing the advertisement was created by “Real Magic AI.” The public response to this advertisement was not good. People were outraged by the advertisement with some people calling it a “creepy dystopian nightmare.” Others called it “garbage”, “ugly”, and “lazy.” But the presentation and visuals of the advertisement was not the only issue that people had problems with. Aside from the choppy commercials, many viewed this advertisement as a poor attempt to cut corners in the film and technology industry. The use of AI has been deemed a job killer in the industry, and the fear is that this technology may put a lot of talented people out of work. However, Coca-Cola’s attempt at using AI for this ad showcases the problems with AI generated content. The quality of the production was amateur compared to the level of quality that the company has put out in the past. The advertisement itself had plenty of details that were off, such as the trucks gliding across the road without their wheels spinning and Santa Clause’s out-of-proportion hand grabbing a Coke bottle. All of these small details added up to the entire project feeling lifeless. Unlike the original commercial it paid homage to, this commercial lacked the human element and holiday magic that made that commercial so iconic.
Coca-Cola has since responded since the backlash, defining their use of the AI technology, stating it was a collaboration between humans and AI. A spokesperson for the company stated, “The Coca-Cola Company has celebrated a long history of capturing the magic of the holidays in content, film, events, and retail activations for decades around the globe.” “We are always exploring new ways to connect with consumers and experiment with different approaches. This year, we crafted films through a collaboration of human storytellers and the power of generative AI.” Jason Zada, the founder of the AI studio Secret Level, one of the three studios that Coca-Cola collaborated with, defended the AI generated ad, arguing that it still had the human element that creates the “warmth” in the ad.
Zevia: Holiday Ad
Zevia, a healthier option soda company, created a holiday ad that poked fun at Coca-Cola’s holiday ad. They created their own AI generated advertisement leaning into the ridiculousness and weirdness of AI generated content. Their advertisement was structured similar to Coke’s holiday ad, but in there 30 second ad, they featured Santa Claus flying on a drone, a polar bear eating Christmas presents, a couple with Christmas lights for teeth enjoying an “artificial soda” and a driving semi-truck with antlers. This parody of an AI ad, created by AI was well received by the audience, who embraced the company’s troll job on Coca Cola.
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Meet the Author
Erik Rudolph
Marketing Assistant Student Worker
Erik is a senior advertising student with a minor in communications, he also is a part of the MSJ 4+1 program at WVU. He is currently the marketing assistant student worker for the WVU Marketing Communications Graduate Programs. Erik loves the sport of boxing and works closely with a local boxing promotion in Morgantown, Real Fight Promotions, as a color commentator and a social media manager.
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