Coca-Cola’s AI Christmas ad faces intense backlash for lack of creativity. Photo courtesy of Coca-Cola, via YouTube
For the second year in a row, Coca-Cola released a completely AI-generated Christmas ad called “The Holidays Are Coming,” sparking widespread backlash. Users online have criticized the company, calling the ad an “AI blunder,” calling the visuals inhuman, and slamming the company’s choice to use generative AI rather than employ artists. Coca-Cola declined to comment on how much it spent on advertising, but acknowledged that the number of people involved was even lower than last year.
Coca-Cola promotes AI despite strong opposition
Labeled as being created with “Real Magic AI,” the ad depicts a herd of animals, including hedgehogs, seals, and rabbits, staring at an illuminated Coca-Cola truck and saying: holidays are approachinga choral tune by Kingdom Choir swells in the background.
Despite intense backlash over the previous holiday campaign, which was also AI-generated, Coca-Cola’s head of generated AI, Pratik Thakar, said, “We need to keep moving forward and keep pushing the envelope…The genie is out of the bottle and we’re not going to put it back in.”
In addition to the ad, Coca-Cola released a behind-the-scenes video that includes what appears to be an AI-generated voiceover explaining how the campaign was created. Apparently, the entire team dedicated to creating this ad consisted of just 5 people and generated over 70,000 video clips in just 30 days. Coca-Cola collaborated with two AI studios to create this ad. The ad will be aired in approximately 140 countries.
‘Soulless’ and ‘ugly’ campaign sparks intense backlash from users
Users were quick to accuse the company of using AI in advertising, despite having the resources to hire real artists. The campaign was described as “ugly”, “creepy”, “sloppy” and “soulless”, and many people rallied to boycott the soft drink.
In a YouTube comment, one user joked, “The most profitable commercial in Pepsi history.”
Another X user said, “You’re a multi-billion dollar company. Pay real animators. This is awful.”
Others criticized the actual quality of the AI animation, saying that aside from the tone-deaf nature of the ad, it doesn’t even look good.
Last year, the animator and creator of the popular TV show gravity fallsAlex Hirsch posted on X in response to Coca-Cola’s holiday campaign: “Fun fact: @Coca-Cola is ‘red’ because it’s made from the blood of out-of-work artists!”
AI: Good for the pocket, but devastating for the artist
AI-generated media has long been criticized by artists because AI programs generate images and text from actual human-made works, much of which is stolen without permission. Moreover, even within companies like Coca-Cola that have the means and ability to pay artists a fair living wage, AI-generated works that are cheaper and faster to produce are rapidly replacing human works.
In fact, in many companies around the world, many young people between the ages of 20 and 24 are struggling to find work, with the introduction of AI making it harder to get internships and marketing roles. Artists and animators will be particularly hard hit by the introduction of this technology.
Coca-Cola’s campaign that was once synonymous with Christmas
Many users have lamented Coca-Cola’s previous Christmas campaign, which not only symbolized the holiday season for many, but had become iconic in its own right. In fact, Coca-Cola’s Christmas ads dating back to the 1930s popularized the image of a cheerful, rosy-cheeked, red-coated, friendly Santa Claus, greatly influencing the modern version of the Santa Claus character we know today.
The “Holidays Are Coming” ad first aired in 1995 and featured an illuminated Coca-Cola truck driving down a snowy road, captivating onlookers.
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