Editorial illustration for Coca-Cola's Holiday AI Ad Falls Flat Compared to OpenAI and Google's Video Tools
AI Video Ads Outshine Coca-Cola's Holiday Marketing Efforts
Coca-Cola’s AI holiday ad looks dated next to OpenAI’s Sora and Google’s Veo
The holiday advertising season has long been a battleground for creative marketing, but this year, artificial intelligence is rewriting the playbook. Coca-Cola, a brand synonymous with festive cheer, has found itself in an unexpected spotlight as generative AI tools rapidly transform visual storytelling.
The company's latest holiday campaign reveals the growing gap between traditional advertising techniques and modern AI video generation. What once might have been a breakthrough now appears almost quaint, thanks to the rapid evolution of tools from tech giants like OpenAI and Google.
Brands are quickly learning that AI isn't just a novelty, it's becoming a critical component of visual communication. For Coca-Cola, this means confronting a stark reality: their once-new approach now risks looking outdated in a landscape where technology can conjure hyperrealistic scenes with unusual ease.
The result? A holiday ad that inadvertently highlights the dramatic leap forward in AI-generated content, raising questions about creativity, production costs, and the future of marketing visual assets.
Compared to the convincing deepfake videos being generated by tools like OpenAI's Sora 2 or Google's Veo 3, the videos produced for this Coke ad feel extremely dated. The only notable improvement to my eyes is that the wheels on the iconic Coke trucks are actually consistently turning this year, rather than gliding statically over snow-covered roads. The Wall Street Journal reports that Coca-Cola teamed up with Silverside and Secret Level on its latest holiday campaign, two of the AI studios that previously worked on the 2024 Coke Christmas ads.
Coca-Cola's latest holiday ad reveals the rapid evolution of AI video generation. While the brand partnered with Silverside and Secret Level, the resulting commercial appears underwhelming compared to modern tools from OpenAI and Google.
The most modest advancement seems to be the truck wheels' movement, which now actually rotate instead of gliding unnaturally across snowy landscapes. This small detail highlights the incremental progress in AI-generated visual content.
Still, the ad's dated feel suggests significant gaps remain between corporate marketing attempts and the most advanced AI video technologies. Brands like Coca-Cola are clearly experimenting with these tools, but haven't yet achieved the smooth visual quality demonstrated by newer platforms.
The Wall Street Journal's coverage implies this is less a failure than an early-stage exploration. AI video generation is moving fast, and what looks primitive today might seem impressive in just months.
Ultimately, Coca-Cola's holiday campaign serves as a snapshot of current AI video capabilities: promising, but still far from perfect.
Further Reading
- Coca-Cola generated its holiday ads using several models - Mashable
- The 5 Biggest AI Stories of 2025 Explained - DataCamp's The Median
- 2025: Making Sense of a Year in AI - Little Black Book (LBBOnline)
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Common Questions Answered
How did Coca-Cola's holiday AI ad compare to video generation tools from OpenAI and Google?
Coca-Cola's holiday ad was considered underwhelming compared to advanced AI video tools like OpenAI's Sora 2 and Google's Veo 3. The commercial, created in partnership with Silverside and Secret Level, appeared dated and less sophisticated in its visual storytelling and animation techniques.
What was the most notable technical improvement in Coca-Cola's AI-generated holiday advertisement?
The most modest advancement in the Coca-Cola holiday ad was the realistic movement of truck wheels, which now actually rotate instead of gliding unnaturally across snowy landscapes. This small detail demonstrates the incremental progress being made in AI-generated visual content.
Which AI studios collaborated with Coca-Cola on their holiday marketing campaign?
According to the Wall Street Journal, Coca-Cola partnered with Silverside and Secret Level to create their holiday advertisement using AI technology. These studios worked together to produce a video that ultimately highlighted the emerging capabilities and limitations of current AI video generation tools.