Did AI ruin Christmas? Coca-Cola’s iconic ad criticised
For many people, the Coca-Cola Holidays are Coming advertisement marks the start of the holiday season. However, this year, the classic ad got a surprising response when viewers noticed a disclaimer that reads ‘created by Real Magic AI’.
The iconic ad enters AI-era
The Coca-Cola Christmas ad, which debuted in 1995, features a classic Coca-Cola truck cruising through a snowy scene with the tune Holidays are Coming playing in the background.
The remake of its iconic Holidays are Coming advertisement marks Coca-Cola’s first time using generative AI in a Christmas ad campaign. There are three versions of the advert.
One uses AI-generated visuals that highlight holiday themes without human depictions:
The second advert uses AI to mimic real actors with their permission:
The third version uses AI-generated visuals that focus on festive animals:
Fans are not happy
Although the AI-generated ad caused mixed reactions from the public, the majority seems to not be in favour of it. Following are what some people had to say about it:
How did Coca-Cola respond?
In response to the criticism, the brand has defended its use of the technology, stating it was a collaboration between humans and AI.
“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,” the spokesperson said.
“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.”
Not Coca-Cola’s first AI endeavour
Last year, the company released Coca-Cola Masterpiece which launched the Real Magic AI platform. The video features a Coca-Cola bottle flying through an art gallery, ‘falling’ into different famous artworks.
Unlike the recent Christmas advert, this video received mainly positive feedback. One of the top comments on the YouTube video reads, ‘This is so much better than that Christmas ad. This is actually good’.
Another comment reads, ‘This has to be the best commercial I’ve seen in a long time. Someone with a great imagination … a rarity these days’.
What do you think of the ad? Is it a success or a failure?
Let us know by clicking on the comment tab below this article.
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