Coca-Cola’s AI-generated ‘Holidays are Coming’ ad sparks debate

Coca-Cola’s iconic Christmas Truck Tour has made its annual return to screens, heralding what many consider the official start of the holiday season.

However, this year’s ‘Holidays are Coming’ advert has caused controversy online as it depicts an all-AI-generated scene.

From the truck to the people, lights, and snow, the drinks firm has opted for digital technologies over traditional methods this Christmas.

One post on X with over 1,500 likes called it “soulless garbage.”

“Shame on Coca-Cola. The message is received: “We don’t care enough about our product or our audience to make good ads.”,” it read.

Soulless garbage. Shame on CocaCola. The message is received: “We don’t care enough about our product or our audience to make good ads.” https://t.co/6uYaOwT1r5

— Kyle T Webster (@kyletwebster) November 16, 2024

The trailers presented the iconic fleet of Coca-Cola trucks driving through a snowy landscape lit with multicoloured lights, as well as AI-generated polar bears, reindeer, dogs, people, and a Coca-Cola-branded satellite.

Christmas creation

The ad was produced by three AI studios: Secret Level, Silverside AI, and Wild Card. The creative teams used generative AI models: Leonardo, Luma, Runway, and Kling.

Secret Level founder Jason Zada told Ad Age that Kling, in particular, helped make human motion “more realistic.”

It also involved 40 creatives from North America, South America, Europe, and Asia, along with a live choir.

“Although advanced technology was key, Silverside AI’s team of art directors, artists, animators, and musicians worked together to ‘bring the caravan back’,” wrote Silverside AI in a press release.

The firm added that the project took two months, as opposed to the twelve it usually takes to create an advert of this kind, which involved rendering 10,000 frames and creating 5000 videos.

This isn’t Coca-Cola’s only seasonal AI initiative this year. Consumers are also invited to talk to an AI Santa and create their own snow globes on their mobile devices through a QR code.

Such experiences and the much-anticipated return of The Coca-Cola Global Christmas Truck Tour remain crucial for the drinks behemoth to drive brand growth.