THE COCA-COLA AD CONTROVERSY - NOT ALWAYS THE REAL THING
This year’s AI-driven holiday ads stirred debates over creativity, accuracy, and the importance of the human touch
The Coca-Cola Company utilized generative AI to produce this year's *Holidays Are Coming* ad, a campaign many are familiar with, since it has been a staple of the holiday season since 1995.
A convoy of sparkling trucks, affable polar bears, Norman Rockwell-esque scenes, and shimmering snow—all the familiar hallmarks of a Coca-Cola holiday.
However, this year's releases (there are three total commercials) sparked significant controversy.
As of two days ago, there were 24 million posts on TikTok about the ad. The commercial on YouTube has 6 million views, along with many negative comments.
Critics pointed to various issues, ranging from the ads feeling overly polished, to technical details, like the truck's wheels not spinning.
Others lamented the lack of warmth and the absence of a human touch - both creatives and actors.
Who knew an ad could get so much controversy and criticism? So says the adage, any publicity is good publicity. Coke is clearing winning.
Coca-Cola stands by the commercials, and in a Ad Age article, cited by the New York Times, championed the benefits of utilizing AI in its ads, including budgetary and speed of execution.
Contrarian Results
System1, and its ‘creative effectiveness’ testing with real-life consumers, unearthed contrarian data. Its research showed that actually, the ad was pure gold.
The results are here.
Until next time, happy retailing!