What Can Local TV Learn From Coca Cola’s AI-Generated Christmas Ad Controversy?

This post was originally published on this site

Have you ever had a can of soda blow up in your face? That’s probably how the marketing executives at Coca-Cola feel right now. The company’s latest holiday ad campaign, an AI-powered remake of its iconic 1995 “Holidays Are Coming” commercial, initially received positive feedback. But what began as a seemingly well-received experiment quickly fell into a controversy that highlights the growing tension between AI innovation and creative authenticity.

As local TV stations increasingly explore how to use new technologies for content creation, Coca-Cola’s experience offers valuable insights into the potential benefits and pitfalls of using AI.

Coca-Cola’s AI-Generated Holiday Campaign

To pull off its AI-generated holiday campaign this year, Coca-Cola enlisted not one, not two, but three AI studios — Secret Level, Silverside AI and Wild Card.

Via YouTube

Combined, these studios used a mix of AI models, including Leonardo, Luma, Runway and Kling to create Coca-Cola’s AI-generated holiday ads. In addition to the AI-generated commercials, the campaign includes an interactive AI-powered portal for users to create custom snow globe animations. After providing an email address, phone number and accepting a lengthy AI Image Usage Agreement, visitors to CreateRealMagic.com can then “chat” with Santa and create custom AI-generated snow globe animations.

Here’s the overly branded snow globe that Coca-Cola’s AI made for me after I described a TVNewsCheck holiday party:

Initially, the executives at Coca-Cola might have thought they had a winner. Andrew Tindall, SVP of partnerships at System1, a company that tests emotional responses to ads,