Coca Cola Christmas Ad Backlash Should Put Advertisers on Notice Regarding Implementation

Coca Cola, it is the Real Thing, unless of course it isn’t.

Earlier this month the iconic soda brand debuted it’s the latest entry in its annual iconic Christmas campaign.

However, this year’s installment has left many with a lingering aftertaste akin to aspartame — artificial.

That is because — for the first-time ever — Coke implemented artificial intelligence to produce its ad.

Some have embraced the innovation, but many are criticizing the corporation for relying on digital technologies to recreate what are meant to be wholesome holiday scenes—lights, snow, trucks, reindeer, dogs, polar bears, and, most importantly, people.

Though the ad draws inspiration from a beloved Coke campaign of the mid-1990s, it quickly becomes clear that the scenes involving customers are designed to be fleeting, seemingly to avoid the uncanny discomfort reminiscent of Princess Leia’s digital appearance in Star Wars: Rogue One.

Coca-Cola has highlighted the ad’s efficiency, emphasizing its faster turnaround compared to previous campaigns and its collaboration with several creative firms. However, the company still faces widespread backlash for what its critics are calling a soulless approach to one of advertising’s most human-centric and heartwarming traditions.

This serves as a great reminder to marketers everywhere, even though AI might be the wave of the future, its implementation, but more importantly its acceptance, must be weighed against the tastes of the consumer.

Because whether it is the soda business — or the advertising business — consumer’s crave the real thing.