Coca-Cola’s 2025 AI Holiday Ad: Faster, Cheaper—and Missing the Human Touch
Coca-Cola’s latest Holidays Are Coming campaign leans harder on AI. Execution is cleaner than last year, but the creative center drifts farther from what makes the holidays human. For marketers, the Coca-Cola AI holiday ad is a case study in trade offs between speed, savings, and soul.
- What is different this year?
- Coca-Cola produced two AI-driven “Holidays Are Coming” spots with AI studios Silverside and Secret Level, airing in about 140 countries. Production shifted from roughly a year to about a month, and the ads avoid unsettling humans by shifting to animals.
What changed in 2025 for the Coca-Cola AI holiday ad
On craft, this is a step up. The truck wheels finally turn, the plastic faces are gone, and the animal cast softens the uncanny effect. Coca-Cola says the work was faster and cheaper to make, with one studio refining tens of thousands of clips using a small team of AI specialists.
Yet the work still feels synthetic. Motion and textures can clash, and the overall vibe leans more tech demo than tradition. Improvements in polish do not address the deeper question: why sideline people in a season built on human connection?
Creative and cultural costs that add up
Cutting people out of holiday storytelling feels dystopian to many. The shift trades real faces and rituals for glossy simulations and mascot creatures. That may avoid the uncanny valley, but it also narrows the emotional range. The holidays are already heavily commercialized. Pulling human presence from the work risks flattening what is left of the season’s meaning.
Some brands have drawn a line. Aerie publicly pledged to keep people real in its ads and turned that stance into a value signal, not a limitation. For value led brands, human realism can be the differentiator.
Does the Coca-Cola AI holiday ad work with consumers
Evidence is mixed. Coca-Cola’s 2024 holiday ads scored highly with general audiences in effectiveness testing, which suggests many viewers either did not notice or did not mind the AI pipeline.
Attitudes are shifting slowly. A 2025 Attest study across the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia found the share of people not okay with AI in ads fell to about 46 percent. That is still a large bloc of skepticism.
Meanwhile, adoption is rising. Industry surveys estimate that roughly a third of digital video ads are now built or enhanced with generative tools, with expectations near 39 to 40 percent by 2026.
A better playbook: human creativity plus AI acceleration
Principles to keep the soul
- Start with a human brief that names values, rituals, and real traditions. AI should not invent your brand’s heart.
- Use AI for volume tasks: boards, variations, previz, and light personalization. Keep important faces, performances, and sound design human.
- Test for human warmth. If a scene only works when you remove people, ask why.
- Disclose with care. Be transparent when AI touches performances. Silence invites backlash in emotional moments like the holidays.
- Measure what matters. Track brand lift and sentiment, not only speed and cost.
Related reads: when and when not to use AI, understanding ad creep, holiday storytelling that connects.
Classic vs 2024 vs 2025 at a glance
| Aspect | 1995 Classic | 2024 AI | 2025 AI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creative core | Human community, trucks, Santa cameo | AI town, glossy people, gliding wheels | Animal cast, improved physics, faster cadence |
| Production | Live action, animation, year long cycle | Multiple AI studios, heavy clean up | Two AI studios, about a month, lower cost |
| Public reaction | Nostalgic, warm | Polarized, “soulless” critiques | Improved craft, mixed vibe |
Key sources include The Wall Street Journal on the 2025 approach, Attest on consumer attitudes, and IAB on adoption rates.
So, did Coca-Cola move the holidays forward
Technically yes. Emotionally no. The craft is neater, but the more AI takes center stage, the farther the work drifts from the human rituals the season celebrates. That drift is the real cost. It is also a choice brands can avoid.
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FAQs
Is the 2025 Coca-Cola holiday ad fully AI generated?
It uses generative AI at scale with human artists polishing frames and sequences. Coca-Cola partnered with Silverside AI and Secret Level, airing two versions globally.
Why are brands avoiding human characters in AI spots?
AI generated humans often fall into the uncanny valley. Brands switch to animals or stylized toys to avoid that reaction. The tactic solves a technical problem, but it can dampen warmth.
Do consumers care if an ad uses AI?
Many do not notice, and some like the ads anyway. In testing, Coca-Cola’s 2024 work scored highly. Still, a large share of consumers say they are not okay with AI in ads.
How common is AI made video in advertising now?
Roughly a third of digital video ads are made or enhanced with AI today, with usage expected to approach 40 percent by 2026.
Further reading and sources: Wall Street Journal, Attest 2025 report, IAB, Adweek on Aerie.