Coca-Cola’s AI Holiday Campaign Fails To Engage Viewers Emotionally [Video]

Decision-makers at brands and agencies know that the new AI-generated holiday ads from Coca-Cola have attracted a lot of criticism.

Others have described the three new AI versions of the classic “Holidays Are Coming” campaign as “a soulless and creepy, dystopian nightmare” and “the biggest branding blunder of the year,” with others saying the AI campaign “destroyed the spirit of Christmas” and “earns Coca-Cola a lump of coal.”

Strong words. But has Manuel “Manolo” Arroyo, the executive vice president and global chief marketing officer for the company, just made a career-damaging move?

In testing for festive campaigns globally by DAIVID, none of Coke’s new AI-generated holiday ads made the top 30 most effective holiday campaigns of 2024 against 90 other Christmas ads.

Watch the new AI-generated holiday ads, which were created by three different ad agencies, and form your own opinion.