TLDR: Coca-Cola has launched a series of AI-generated holiday advertisements for 2024, reimagining its iconic ‘Holidays Are Coming’ campaign. The move, aimed at innovation and efficiency, has garnered mixed reactions, with some praising the technological leap and others criticizing the ads for lacking the ‘real magic’ of their predecessors.
Coca-Cola has ventured into the realm of artificial intelligence for its 2024 holiday advertising campaign, releasing a series of AI-generated commercials that revisit its beloved ‘Holidays Are Coming’ theme. This strategic shift has ignited considerable discussion, positioning the beverage giant at the forefront of generative AI in mainstream marketing.
The new advertisements are a modern take on the classic 1995 ‘Holidays Are Coming’ spot, which famously featured a convoy of illuminated red trucks. For the 2024 iteration, Coca-Cola collaborated with three specialized AI studios: Secret Level, Silverside AI, and Wild Card. These studios leveraged a suite of advanced AI platforms, including Runway, Kling, Luma Labs Dream Machine, Stable Diffusion, Pactto, DALL-E, ChatGPT, and Silverside AI’s proprietary tool, Director Magic, to bring the festive vision to life. One of the ads notably features human characters, while others focus on animated animals.
The reception to these AI-powered commercials has been polarized. Critics have described the ads as ‘soulless,’ a ‘creepy dystopian nightmare,’ and even a ‘branding blunder,’ expressing concerns that the use of AI detracts from the authentic spirit of the holiday season. Many viewers on platforms like YouTube voiced disappointment, lamenting a perceived loss of the original campaign’s charm and creativity.
Conversely, proponents view the campaign as an innovative leap, showcasing the potential of generative AI in advertising.
PJ Pereira, co-founder and creative chairman of Pereira O’Dell and co-founder and partner at Silverside AI, highlighted the revolutionary nature of the production process. He noted that their team was able to generate a rough draft of the spot within three days and create an astonishing 110 different versions in a matter of days, a feat he likened more to ‘software development’ than traditional ad production. Pereira emphasized that AI enables the realization of great ideas that might otherwise be constrained by budget limitations, elevating the overall creative output.
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Pratik Thakar, Coca-Cola’s vice president and global head of generative AI, underscored the practical benefits, stating that the AI-powered approach resulted in significant time and cost savings. Each advertisement includes a small disclaimer at the bottom of the screen, stating ‘Created by Real Magic AI,’ acknowledging the technological foundation of the campaign. Despite the mixed public sentiment, a survey conducted by media intelligence firm Truescope indicated that a majority of respondents, approximately 83%, held ‘neutral’ sentiments regarding the use of AI in the commercial, suggesting that widespread public outrage might be less pronounced than some initial reactions indicated.
