Coca-Cola reveals AI-Driven Christmas Advert: A look into the future of campaigns
Fans of Coca-Cola’s traditional holiday adverts were surprised by the lack of tradition in the company’s 2024 Christmas campaigns from the use of artificial intelligence. (AI) The change has sparked mixed reactions, with some viewers expressing their disapointment over the use of AI in a campaign known for it’s nostalgia.
Since its 1995 debut, Coca-Cola's "Holidays are Coming" advert has been a symbol of the holiday season. The campaign was widely recognised for its three 40-foot trucks illuminated by 30,000 lightbulbs. Due to the use of AI, they have also strayed from their tradition of having a real person play Father Christmas this year.
The 15-second piece shows several branded trucks driving through snowy mountains; they are not as illuminated as in previous adverts. You see what viewers can only assume is Father Christmas's hand handing someone a glass bottle of Coke whilst we get a glimpse of a red sleeve and a white cuff. Polar bears have also been featured.
“AI can’t replicate human creativity.”
Doctor Allen Stroud, Chair of the British Science Fiction Association says “AI can’t replicate human creativity. AI will only be able to create if humans continue to create and what it creates will be derivative variations from the content it has been allowed to use.”
The question is why did they decide to use AI in the first place? European CMO Javier Meza told the Marketing Week “We didn’t start by saying: ‘Ok we need to do this with AI… the brief was, we want to bring Holidays Are Coming into the present and then we explored AI as a solution to that.” Despite this, this advertisement has always had a more traditional feel, with the glass Coke bottles and old-fashioned trucks. Changing it to fit with the present and make it more modern seems it's detracted from the magical feel for many of its viewers.
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24-year-old, Leonardo Munyua with a marketing degree believes that “Coca-cola could be doing this to try and appeal to the younger consumers, especially if they want to be more modern without thinking they are abandoning the core values of its campaigns. But I do think brands needs to be careful when using AI when nostalgic prodcts are involved.”
“The only positives for Coca-Cola in this are to develop efficiency in savings and make people unemployed.”
Dr Stroud believes: “the only positives for Coca-Cola in this are to develop efficiency in savings and make people unemployed.” Compared to a full production like the past years, it is clear that an advertisement like this would require a lot less effort and money. Particularly considering that this one does include imperfections that may give the impression to viewers that it was a rushed process. Dr Stroud also thinks they chose this path because "they want to be in conversation." He goes on to say, "The obvious use is making people talk about Coca-Cola, but maybe not in the way they wanted. Still all publicity is good publicity.”
Credit: Pexel
If you watch the video closely, you'll notice that in certain clips, the truck's wheels aren't spinning, which makes it seem even more artificial. The Christmas lights and decorations in the village's background are almost nonsensical; they aren't always In certain designs and appear to be simply there. Details like this are discreet to the viewer if they aren't paying close attention as the clips only last a few seconds each.
Online users quickly expressed their opinions about their new advertising route, with one user on X writing: “Coca Cola using ai for an ad is genuinely so terrifying to me. Art is dying. This is affecting EVERYONE now. Whether you want to accept that or not. Its going too far.” Another replied to this tweet and added: “Ending the ad with real magic feels like a salt in the wound too… There’s nothing real or magical about this.”
“I think it’s a tool, that when done correctly, can bring advertisements to life.”
The influencer marketing hub's Artificial Intelligence (AI) Marketing Benchmark Report: 2024 states that 69.1% of marketers admit they have used AI in their campaigns. This has increased by almost 8% from last year. It suggests that companies are gradually beginning to rely more and more on AI, and it's possible that in the future, that percentage will be 100%. “I think that it’s clear that AI is here to stay as more brands are continuing to use it to enhance their creativity. I think it’s a tool that, when done correctly, can bring advertisments to life.” Mr Munyua adds. As AI becomes more widely used in marketing, it is still unclear if this will drive greater creativity or ultimately replace human touch with efficiency. Perhaps AI is the way of the future, or maybe responses to its use like this one cause people to wonder if it's step in the right direction or a step backwards.