Copyright Men's Journal
As the topic of artificial intelligence continues to make waves, one of the world’s most well-known brands finds itself at the center of the conversation for a second consecutive year. Coca-Cola rolled out its holiday advertisement in November 2024, using the popular “The Holidays Are Coming” by giving a tip of the cap to the brand’s iconic 1995 ad. However, the backlash came in the form of the company’s decision to use AI to create people, animals and other various objects in the ad. Shortly after the calendar turned to November, Coca-Cola revealed its decision to give the AI holiday advertisement approach another whirl. Hate it or love it, Coke has made it clear it’s happening, and they’ve paired with the same company as last year, AI studio Secret Level, as The Hollywood Reporter revealed. Both Coke and Secret Level are also doubling down while backing the approach, with each party addressing it head-on. Coca-Cola’s 2025 AI Holiday Ad Drops, With Mixed Reviews of Commercial Coca-Cola’s new artificial intelligence holiday commercial for 2025 (seen above) was officially released on Nov. 3. Shortly after, the company’s global VP and head of generative AI, Pratik Thakar, along with Secret Level’s founder and chief creative officer, Jason Zada, addressed the decision. In part, the belief is that viewers’ feelings about the approach will differ this year, as Thakar detailed to The Hollywood Reporter. “Last year people criticized the craftsmanship. But this year the craftsmanship is ten times better,” Thakar said. “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.” While the topic of AI is a common debate, its use to replace jobs and people across various lines of work has long been a concern. This is especially true in Hollywood, where the film and television industry is a conversation that’s become even more front-and-center than it was last year. Creator of Coca-Cola’s New AI Commercial Addresses ‘Haters on the Internet’ Thakar and Coca-Cola know there’ll be pushback on the decision to use artificial intelligence in the popular holiday commercial. However, as Zada explains, he believes the negativity is fueled by social media response. The Secret Level founder pointed to the “haters on the internet” while speaking to THR. “The haters on the Internet are the loudest,” Zada said. “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.” While Zada has understandably fully embraced AI, utilizing it to fuel business, he and Thakar both appear to be full steam ahead on Coke’s decision to embrace it. Thakar called it part of “doing something pioneering” while addressing pushback from the entertainment industry. And for anyone curious about the chances of Coca-Cola pivoting back, that doesn’t appear likely, as Thakar told THR that the “genie is out of the bottle, and you’re not going to put it back in.
