Coca-Cola is once again leaning into generative AI to reimagine its iconic Holidays Are Coming commercials — but the results are leaving many fans cold. What was once a beloved symbol of festive cheer has taken a strange turn, with critics calling the new AI-driven ads “visually jarring” and lacking the magic that made the originals so memorable.
After last year’s backlash over AI-generated commercials featuring gliding wheels and uncanny, expressionless faces, the company seems determined to try again. This year’s campaign replaces human characters with a cast of animated critters — including polar bears, pandas, and even a sloth — in an effort to sidestep realism issues. Unfortunately, the visuals swing wildly between cartoonish and hyper-realistic, resulting in a disjointed, almost clumsy look that feels more like a patchwork of AI experiments than a polished holiday film.
Still, there’s one small improvement: the Coke trucks’ wheels finally move correctly, instead of gliding awkwardly over snow as they did last year. According to The Wall Street Journal, Coca-Cola worked with AI studios Silverside and Secret Level on this year’s campaign — the same teams behind its 2024 effort. Around 100 people were involved in the production, including five AI specialists who reportedly generated and refined over 70,000 clips to bring the new ad to life.
The campaign comes at a time when AI is shaking up the creative industry. Tools from companies like Google and OpenAI are making it possible to create entire commercials without traditional production crews, raising questions about what this means for the future of creative work. Google even released its first fully AI-generated commercial this year, suggesting that consumers might not care whether a human or a machine made the ad — as long as it’s entertaining.
Despite the criticism, Coca-Cola appears confident that the benefits outweigh the risks. Chief Marketing Officer Manolo Arroyo told The Wall Street Journal that AI has made the production process faster and cheaper, noting that what once took a year can now be done in about a month. Yet as technology speeds up the creative process, many wonder if the brand’s signature Christmas charm might be getting lost somewhere along the way.
