Coca-Cola Christmas adverts spark outrage again: ‘real magic’?
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Coca-Cola, once known for its heartfelt, nostalgic Christmas ads, has once again caused widespread displeasure this year with its choice of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content for its holiday campaign. This move is not the first, and while technologically the content may have evolved, the emotional response from the audience has been overwhelmingly negative, raising questions about the brand’s direction.
Instead of nostalgia – “slime” and offended artists
Last year, Coca-Cola already managed to shoot its soft underbelly by using AI in its Christmas campaign. The result was three commercials that were criticized as “tasteful masterpieces” that absolutely fell short of the warmth and soulfulness of the previous commercials. This negative response does not seem to have deterred the company, as this year the trend has not only been maintained, but even intensified. The latest ads show confused mimic animals gathering around a truck driven by Santa Claus. Santa in and of himself makes you want to reach for a fire extinguisher instead of feeling the holiday cheer. In addition, the advertisement shows a wooden fireplace without a flue opening – what a drama awaits those in the hearth! What’s even sadder is that Coca-Cola apparently ignores the contradiction between its tagline “real magic” and its AI-generated “slime” content.
Lack of soul and “secret work behind the back”
Although video creation models have seen a rise since last year, the visual presentation is still unconvincing and deeply derivative. This is particularly troubling given that AI content is often based on the work of other artists without asking their permission. Coca-Cola doesn’t seem to have taken into account that more and more people are turning away from the “manure” AI content that is offered on a daily basis and are becoming more savvy in recognizing the lack of authenticity. Social media is dominated by terms like “soulless”, “horrible” and calls for a boycott. Statements by Pratic Thakar, head of generative AI at Coca-Cola, have caused particular outrage. He defended the decision as a “forward-looking experiment”, stressing that “we need to move forward and push the boundaries. The genie is out of the bottle and can’t be put back in.” Such statements, of course, did not receive a positive response.
More than 70,000 clips – at what price?
The situation is further aggravated by the fact that Coca-Cola is clearly proud of its “monster” work. The company has also released a “behind-the-scenes” video with a voice that may have been created with AI, or the two employees were held at gunpoint as they raved about how a “small team of five” managed to “create and painstakingly refine” more than 70,000 videos in just 30 days. This situation has revived heated debates about not hiring talented creative workers and that cutting costs is valued more than destroying the value of human labor. One user on X wrote: “You are a company worth billions. Pay REAL animators. This is disgusting.”
Team Report: Team 90’s
Are you nostalgic for the ads of yesteryear, or do you agree with Coca-Cola that this is the right direction? Here at Euronews Culture, we’re team ’90s’ and we’re kicking back with a cup of ‘sweetness’.
