Coca-Cola faces backlash following change to iconic Christmas advert for 2024

We’re all well acquainted with the Coca-Cola ‘Holidays are Coming’ advert, which is played every year before Christmas, but a change to the beloved clip has got people riled up.

The ad, which features Santa and a Coca-Cola delivery truck, is probably something many people have known and loved since they were born as it was first aired in 1995.

It shows sparkly lights all over the trucks as it makes deliveries to houses covered in snow.

While it’s changed every now and then, the messaging has always remained the same, but with just weeks leading up to the big day, the brand has changed it a whole lot.

The 16 second clip for this year has been met with backlash, with people on social media, particularly X, ranting about its use of artificial intelligence.

That’s right, it was created with AI, meaning that none of the actors are real, nor is the pretty landscape.

While the fizzy drink company said that it was ‘efficient’ and saved them both time and money, it’s not been received well.

One X user wrote: “Just saw an ai generated Coca-Cola commercial on tv... genuinely how are we letting this happen.

“I feel like I'm watching the death of art and our planet unfold in front of my eyes and no one irl [in real life] seems to care.”

A tad bit dramatic, but you get the general gist of why people are upset.

The advert has faced backlash over its use of AI (Coca-Cola)

Another said it was 'so fkn ugly', and another said: “The world is so over if the Christmas Coca-Cola advert is made with AI.”

Considering it has been a Christmas staple for nearly three decades, the latest ad has rocked the boat more than people would like to see.

So, how was it created?

Apparently, it was made using three AI studios Secret Level, Silverside AI and Wild Card using ‘generative’ AI, which was then tasked with creating imagery it thought of itself.

Javier Meza, the EU chief marketing officer at Coca-Cola, claimed that the company are trying to keep up with 'today's times' and told Marketing Week: “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.”

A spokesman described it as an 'exciting venture into AI-generated storytelling', explaining: “[It] demonstrates Coca-Cola's commitment to embracing innovation, leveraging our collaborations with top creative and technology partners, while staying true to its core values – spreading happiness and creating real magic.”

The company wanted to keep up with modern times (Coca-Cola)

One Christmas ad that seems to have gone down a little better was the 2024 John Lewis effort, which saw a woman travel through time and her memories to find the perfect present for her sister.

In the end, it made her realise that her sister is someone special, who deserves the very best as she moves from memory to memory from their childhood.

One viewer wrote: "Well done John Lewis, this is how you do a true Christmas ad. Take a bow."

Another said: "Beautifully filmed, nostalgic Christmas message. I'm looking forward to the Season now."

The ad was helped slightly, you might argue, by featuring real people rather than uncanny valley AI facsimiles.

LADbible reached out to Coca-Cola for comment.