Posted in: Opinion, TV, TV, YouTube | Tagged: ai, artificial intelligence, coca cola, opinion

Coca-Cola, Generative AI Make For Ho-Ho-Horrifying Holiday Ad (VIDEO)

Coca-Cola went the generative AI route for its "Holidays Are Coming" television ads, in case your holiday season wasn't quite creepy enough.

In terms of the holiday season, Coca-Cola has a pretty good thing going. Between Santa Claus, some adorable polar bears, some down-home goodness, and a whole lot of nostalgia for a time that we're not quite sure ever existed except in a Coca-Cola campaign, it's pretty much become its own side business. Look no further than the collectors market that's out there for pretty much anything and everything that's old-timey holiday joy. And god bless 'em, the beverage company continues to feed the beast every year – but this year, Coca-Cola thought you might want a generative AI-created holiday ad in your stocking (2024 version of coal?).

We know what you're thinking. The "Holidays are Coming" ad campaign is a huge hit that's beloved by millions! What could AI do to ruin that? To that, I would say… check out the clip above, and then we dare you to look us in the face and say that again. Go on. We'll drop a Zoom link in at the end. Here's the thing about generative AI – aside from the fact that we see it as just a new form of stealing shit that isn't yours and then passing it off as if it's yours. It all looks so f***ing creepy. That "live-action 'Simpsons' film" that you think looks so great? It sucks. Sorry. The idea behind the holidays is supposed to be about coming together and a sense of community – not spotlighting what looks to be a town filled with serial killers obsessed with the holidays (and Coca-Cola). Maybe that's why Santa didn't want anything more than a "sleeve cameo" – is Old Saint Nick making a statement against AI?

"We didn't start by saying: 'OK, we need to do this with AI.' The brief was, we want to bring 'Holidays Are Coming' into the present, and then we explored AI as a solution to that," shared Coca-Cola European CMO Javier Meza with Marketing Week earlier in November. Well, they certainly did bring something to the holiday season – we'll leave it up to you to decide what that was. Just some friendly advice, though? Kids have a hard enough time sleeping on Christmas Eve night. That ad might just keep them awake through New Year's Eve.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!