Coca-Cola Christmas ads are a classic symbol of the holiday season. From his signature illuminated truck to the endearing Santa Claus sharing a bottle with children, these pieces have captured the holiday spirit for decades.
However, this year the company decided to innovate by using artificial intelligence to create its Christmas commercials. Although the proposal sought to modernize a cultural icon, it has generated a wave of criticism from both artists and the general public.
The creation of the ad: Real Magic AI in action
The ad titled “The Holiday Magic is Coming” was designed using the Real Magic AI platform, developed by Coca-Cola in collaboration with OpenAI.
This tool, similar in concept to image generators like DALL-E, combines elements from the brand’s historical archive with advanced modeling capabilities to generate unique visual pieces.
The result is a commercial that pays homage to the iconic 1995 ad, but with a modern twist.
Traditional elements, such as illuminated trucks and a snow-covered village, are mixed with AI-generated details, such as the iconic polar bears. Even Santa’s sleigh appears, although his face does not.
The technology used includes artificial intelligence models such as Leonardo, Luma and Runway, along with more recent ones such as Kling, known for improving the realism of human movement.
According to the creative team, the speed and flexibility of these models allowed to significantly reduce production times and offer a higher level of customization.
A divided reception: art vs. automation
Despite technological advances, the announcement has been subject to severe criticism. Many consumers described the result as “soulless” and lacking the human touch that characterizes Coca-Cola’s Christmas ads.
On platforms like YouTube, the most notable comments suggest that the brand has lost the Christmas spirit by opting for an apparently cheaper solution. Artists and creators have also expressed their discontent.
Alex Hirsch, creator of the Gravity Falls series, criticized the ad on social media with a sarcastic comment: “Coca-Cola is red because it is made from the blood of unemployed artists.”
Other users noted that while AI can be a valuable tool, it should not replace human creativity, especially in such iconic cultural pieces.
However, not everything has been negative. Some technology experts have championed the use of AI as an opportunity to explore new forms of creativity.
According to Shelly Palmer, professor of advanced media at Syracuse University, although the advertisement failed to innovate on an artistic level, it doesrepresent an important step in the evolution of audiovisual production.
The squirrel problem
A technical challenge that arose during the production of the Coca-Cola Christmas advertisement with artificial intelligence. According to the creators, the first scene of the commercial showed an AI-generated squirrel as part of a snowy landscape.
However, getting the squirrel to look natural and move realistically required hundreds of attempts with different settings of the AI model. Finally it was decided to take the squirrel out of the commercial.
This detail highlights the current limitations of AI technology to generate visual content. Although it can produce impressive results, it still faces problems such as unnatural movements and inconsistent appearance.
Beyond Coca-Cola: other brands in the age of AI
Coca-Cola is not the only company that has experimented with artificial intelligence in its advertising. In 2023, Toys ‘R’ Us released an AI-generated Christmas commercial featuring a child version of its founder.
However, visual inconsistencies drew similar criticism. On the other hand, Nike achieved greater acceptance with its tribute to Serena Williams, using AI to recreate fictitious matches between different versions of the tennis player.
These examples reflect a common pattern: while the use of AI can reduce costs and speed up production, it does not always connect emotionally with the audience.
Why are AI ads not convincing?
Widespread discontent with AI-generated ads can be attributed to several factors. Firstlythere is a perception that these pieces lack authenticity.
Audiences are looking for genuine emotions and human narratives, something that AI has yet to fully replicate.
Furthermore, the ethical debate on the impact of AI on creative employment plays an important role. Many artists fear being replaced by technologies that imitate their work without the human effort behind it.
This concern, combined with the nostalgia associated with classic Christmas ads, amplifies the rejection of experiments like Coca-Cola’s. Finally, although AI tools are advancing rapidly, they still have technical limitations.
Elements like unnatural movements or imperfect details, like the “squirrel problem” we talked about earlier in the Coca-Cola ad, can break the viewer’s immersion.
A promising future or a passing trend?
This controversy reflects the challenges of using AI in advertising. While technology offers exciting possibilities, it alsoraises questions about the balance between innovation and authenticity.
For brands like Coca-Cola, the challenge is not only to master the technique, but also to recover the emotional connection that defines its most iconic advertisements.
In this sense, the use of AI should not be seen as a substitute for human creativity, but rather as a complementary tool that enriches the artistic process.
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