Coca-Cola, the Atlanta-based beverage company, drew sustained public criticism over its use of generative AI in holiday advertising across two consecutive seasons, according to coverage of brand marketing missteps. The company attempted to reimagine its classic 1995 Holidays Are Coming campaign using AI-generated visuals, and the results became a frequent reference point in debates over automated ad production.
The first attempt, released for the 2024 holiday season, was widely described by viewers and commentators as soulless and visually off-putting, with critics pointing to uncanny imagery and distorted details. Rather than retreating from the approach, the company released another AI-assisted holiday ad the following year featuring anthropomorphic animals. Observers noted the second effort was technically smoother, yet it still attracted criticism for an artificial quality that many audiences found unconvincing.
The reaction placed Coca-Cola among several major brands whose AI-generated campaigns generated backlash during the period. Coverage of the season grouped the company alongside other advertisers that faced public ridicule over AI visuals, and some marketers cited the episodes as cautionary examples when weighing automated production against audience expectations.
The pattern fed a broader industry conversation about authenticity in advertising. Some brands began openly mocking AI-generated content in their own campaigns, treating the backlash as a signal that audiences value human craft in marketing. For Coca-Cola, headquartered in Atlanta's Fulton County, the episodes illustrated how a globally recognized brand's experiments with new production tools can become the story themselves when audiences react.
Source: Ad Age - https://adage.com/events-awards/aa-5-ai-brand-fails-and-lessons-for-marketers/