Coca‑Cola’s AI holiday ad looks dated next to OpenAI’s Sora and Google’s Veo
When Coke dropped its first AI-driven holiday spot this season, the familiar red-and-white logo took center stage, hoping to catch eyes during the busiest shopping weeks. The ad says a generative-video workflow let the team stitch together festive scenes without a traditional shoot. I’m not sure how much of that holds up, though - the bar for what counts as “AI-made” seems to have shifted a lot lately.
Look at OpenAI’s Sora 2 or Google’s Veo 3; they churn out deep-fake-level footage that mimics real lighting, motion and texture with uncanny precision. Put those outputs next to Coke’s clip, and the contrast is hard to miss. The new spot feels more like a nostalgic throwback than a high-tech demo, especially when the only visual tweak that registers is the trucks’ wheels finally turning in sync.
Perhaps the ad leans more on polished nostalgia than on today’s generative power - a polished version of an older formula, maybe?
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 new holiday spot shows that generative AI still has its hiccups. The trucks finally get moving, but the look feels a bit old-school compared with the deep-fake clips OpenAI’s Sora or Google’s Veo have been putting out. Maybe they were aiming for a nostalgic vibe, or perhaps they just wanted to flaunt a new tool.
The rough edges sit next to the smoother, more believable results we’ve seen elsewhere, which makes it seem the brand’s AI pipeline isn’t quite up to the latest standards. Some critics say the festive mood is muted, and the visual quality might actually dampen the usual seasonal cheer. I’m not sure if the next version will iron out these issues or if Coca-Cola will go back to traditional production.
Right now the ad feels like a reminder that AI-driven marketing still needs a human eye to keep it from looking sloppy. After the earlier backlash, the company is clearly betting on AI, but the audience’s reaction hints that the approach still needs some tweaking.
Further Reading
- The Coca-Cola AI Campaign review | It's not the real thing - Film Stories
- Papers with Code - Latest NLP Research - Papers with Code
- Hugging Face Daily Papers - Hugging Face
- ArXiv CS.CL (Computation and Language) - ArXiv
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Common Questions Answered
How does Coca‑Cola’s AI holiday ad differ from the deep‑fake videos generated by OpenAI’s Sora 2 and Google’s Veo 3?
The Coca‑Cola ad uses a generative‑video workflow that stitches together festive scenes, but its visual quality feels dated compared to the convincing deep‑fake clips from Sora 2 and Veo 3. The only noticeable upgrade is that the iconic Coke trucks now have wheels that actually turn, whereas earlier AI‑generated ads often showed static wheels.
Which agencies collaborated with Coca‑Cola on its AI‑driven holiday campaign?
Coca‑Cola partnered with Silverside and Secret Level to develop the AI‑driven holiday spot, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. These agencies helped implement the generative‑video workflow that aimed to replace a traditional shoot.
What specific visual improvement is highlighted in the Coca‑Cola holiday ad compared to previous AI ads?
The article notes that the wheels on the iconic Coke trucks are now consistently turning throughout the holiday spot, a step up from earlier AI ads where the wheels appeared static over snow‑covered roads. This change is presented as the only notable visual enhancement in the new ad.
What does the article suggest about the current state of generative AI for brand advertising?
The piece argues that while generative AI can produce holiday content, the results can still be uneven, as seen with Coca‑Cola’s ad that feels more dated than outputs from cutting‑edge tools like Sora 2 and Veo 3. It implies that many brands, including Coca‑Cola, have not yet fully matched the quality of the latest AI video technologies.