Coca-Cola recently launched a Christmas advertisement generated by artificial intelligence, which faced strong backlash from netizens. In the ad, a fleet of cherry-red trucks drives along a snow-covered road, delivering ice-cold Coca-Cola to customers in a festively decorated town. While the campaign showcases the future of commercial advertising, many consumers did not feel the holiday spirit and criticized the beverage brand's ad as "garbage," "ugly," and "lazy."
The advertisement utilized Coca-Cola's artificial intelligence software, Real Magic AI, and included a small disclaimer in the video. Although the campaign aimed to promote Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, consumers expressed anger over the use of AI.
Jason Zada, the founder of Secret Level, one of the three AI studios Coca-Cola collaborated with, believes that the human element in the video creates a "warm" effect. However, many consumers did not feel this warmth and instead criticized the ad as a "dystopian nightmare."
Coca-Cola's Vice President and Global Head of Generative AI, Pratik Thakar, stated that the company is leveraging next-generation campaigns to connect its "tradition" with "the future and technology." He believes that using this technology can save money, not to mention time.
However, consumer reactions indicate that AI-generated advertisements may not yet be the best choice.
