For generations, Coca-Cola and Christmas have been inseparable. Ultimately, it was Coca-Cola’s advertisements in the 1930s that helped cement Santa Claus’s renowned red and white look. This year, they reinvented their beloved 1995 ‘Holidays Are Coming’ advert again, but with an unexpected twist that left fans perplexed…
Holidays are coming
Last month, Coca-Cola released their highly anticipated Christmas advert. After receiving backlash last year for partnering with three AI production firms to put out Christmas adverts created using artificial intelligence, Coca-Cola surprisingly doubled down this year.
Last year, the advert featured the recognised Coca-Cola trucks, with close-ups of people celebrating with drinks in hand. If you’re in the sphere of AI-generated content, you’ll understand the difficulty in creating humans without the uncanny look. In the original 1995 advert, close-ups of families were interspersed throughout the advert, creating a homely feel that fans enjoyed. In 2024, many agreed the feeling was gone. “AI slop” and “soulless” are just two of the abundant criticisms the remade advert received.
But why double down? Coca-Cola’s 2025 advert held the same notion as the year prior, again using AI-generated content. Global vice president for creative strategy and content, Islam ElDessouky, explained that they are going to “keep going at it”, as it is giving them the measurements, metrics and business results while they learn to do things differently.
In this 2025 advert, Coca-Cola switches out the uncanny humans for anthropomorphic animals, gazing while the revered truck rushes by. Internet users commented on the animation’s inconsistencies, with some animals portrayed as realistic, and others cartoonishly awkward.
Independent innovation specialist Dino Burbridge created a graphic highlighting the visual inconsistencies in the truck throughout the minute-long advert, and there are ten different variations…
He highlights the laziness in Coca-Cola’s oversight, and that it’s not the fault of AI; it’s the fault of Coca-Cola for not noticing or fixing it.
It’s the season for giving, or is it?
Coca-Cola claimed they used even fewer people than in last year’s campaign, with criticism highlighting Christmas as a time for giving, while conversations surrounding AI taking people’s jobs are happening today. Real humans likely lost out on jobs because of the use of AI, and it is doubly cruel in the season of giving, that all Coca-Cola appear to be doing is taking. This is especially important in the context of AI being trained on countless works of art by artists and content creators without permission.
The fact that they persisted this year instead of listening to the consumers that keep their business afloat is evidence that the future is AI, regardless of what people say. Anxiety surrounding job losses due to AI is rising, and Goldman Sachs estimated that by 2030, 300 million jobs globally could be affected. One sector that is highly debated is marketing, and what aspects of it AI might replace.
From a marketing lens, this is a cautionary tale. As more brands start to experiment with generative AI, it’s important to cut through the noise. The general consensus highlights a need to expect better from multi-million-pound corporations like Coca-Cola. Their brand trust is on the line, and their choice to double down may alienate long-term fans. Many commend the use of AI to assist, not replace, and replacing is what Coca-Cola is doing.
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