Coca-Cola slammed for ‘disgusting’ AI Christmas advert

Coca-Cola slammed for ‘disgusting’ AI Christmas advert - ‘supposed to have heart’

Coca-Cola has used AI for its Xmas ad again. The Holidays are Coming clip was made with Generative AI. But viewers are not happy with Coca-Cola’s decision. For the second year running, Coca-Cola has given its iconic ‘Holidays Are Coming’ advert an AI twist. The advert first debuted back in 1995 and has been used plenty of times in the decades since. Having fallen out of use in the early part of the 21st century, it was revived in 2007. Last year, Coca-Cola gave the iconic advert a generative AI make-over and despite backlash has used it again for the 2025 commercial. The Verge reports that the soft-drink giant is doubling down this year, having teamed up with Silverside and Secret Level for the advert. Sign up for our daily national newsletter - in your inbox Mon-Fri The company’s Chief Marketing Officer, Manolo Arroyo, told The Wall Street Journal that its new Christmas campaign was cheaper and speedier to make. Claiming it can be done “in a around a month”. Running for around a minute, the advert features the iconic red trucks on a globe-trotting journey in a surreal world of anthropomorphic animals. Bunny rabbits in bobble hats floating in a boat down a river, meerkats drinking from bottles of coke. Reacting to the advert on social media, people have slammed Coca-Cola for the AI advert. One wrote: “And surprise surprise it still looks horrendous. A company that earn 47 billion in revenue in 2024 can't be a**** to pay a few million to a team of talented artists? It's not 'pushing the envelope', it's greed.” Another wrote: “This is disgusting. you’re a multiBILLION dollar company. Pay REAL animators.” One echoed: “Embarrassing, Christmas ads are supposed to have heart and personality and make you feel things.” A person said: “I feel like the essence of Christmas is not there.” One added: “It amazes me how they try to recapture the magic of their iconic commercial from the past & instead rehash it so poorly.” Speaking about the advert, Pratik Thakar, global vp and head of generative AI at Coca-Cola, told The Hollywood Reporter: “Last year people criticized the craftsmanship. But this year the craftsmanship is ten times better.” He continued: “There will be people who criticize — we cannot keep everyone 100 percent happy. But if the majority of consumers see it in a positive way it’s worth going forward.” Thakar concluded: “A lot of the people complaining last year were from the creative industry who were just afraid — afraid for their jobs, afraid for what it did. But I think the spot tested really well and average people really enjoyed it.” John Lewis has released its own Christmas advert for 2025 - and it had viewers ‘bawling their eyes out’ over breakfast. See how it compares to all of their previous efforts from 2007 to now.

Coca-Cola has used AI for its Xmas ad again. The Holidays are Coming clip was made with Generative AI. But viewers are not happy with Coca-Cola’s decision.

For the second year running, Coca-Cola has given its iconic ‘Holidays Are Coming’ advert an AI twist.

The advert first debuted back in 1995 and has been used plenty of times in the decades since. Having fallen out of use in the early part of the 21st century, it was revived in 2007.

Last year, Coca-Cola gave the iconic advert a generative AI make-over and despite backlash has used it again for the 2025 commercial. The Verge reports that the soft-drink giant is doubling down this year, having teamed up with Silverside and Secret Level for the advert.

The company’s Chief Marketing Officer, Manolo Arroyo, told The Wall Street Journal that its new Christmas campaign was cheaper and speedier to make. Claiming it can be done “in a around a month”.

Running for around a minute, the advert features the iconic red trucks on a globe-trotting journey in a surreal world of anthropomorphic animals. Bunny rabbits in bobble hats floating in a boat down a river, meerkats drinking from bottles of coke.

Reacting to the advert on social media, people have slammed Coca-Cola for the AI advert. One wrote: “And surprise surprise it still looks horrendous. A company that earn 47 billion in revenue in 2024 can't be a**** to pay a few million to a team of talented artists? It's not 'pushing the envelope', it's greed.”

Another wrote: “This is disgusting. you’re a multiBILLION dollar company. Pay REAL animators.” One echoed: “Embarrassing, Christmas ads are supposed to have heart and personality and make you feel things.”

A person said: “I feel like the essence of Christmas is not there.” One added: “It amazes me how they try to recapture the magic of their iconic commercial from the past & instead rehash it so poorly.”

Speaking about the advert, Pratik Thakar, global vp and head of generative AI at Coca-Cola, told The Hollywood Reporter: “Last year people criticized the craftsmanship. But this year the craftsmanship is ten times better.”

He continued: “There will be people who criticize — we cannot keep everyone 100 percent happy. But if the majority of consumers see it in a positive way it’s worth going forward.”

Thakar concluded: “A lot of the people complaining last year were from the creative industry who were just afraid — afraid for their jobs, afraid for what it did. But I think the spot tested really well and average people really enjoyed it.”

John Lewis has released its own Christmas advert for 2025 - and it had viewers ‘bawling their eyes out’ over breakfast. See how it compares to all of their previous efforts from 2007 to now.