Coca-Cola's Second AI Holiday Effort: Breaking Ground or Building Backlash?

Coca-Cola is rolling out its holiday trucks again, but this season, it's giving them an AI spin.  

Developed by WPP Open X and led by VML, its 2025 “Refresh Your Holidays” campaign leans into AI-powered storytelling to honor the warmth of its classic Christmas traditions.

At the heart of the campaign are three new films, where Silverside AI and Secret Level handled the AI production work.

These include a live-action TV spot called “A Holiday Memory," and two reimagined versions of the iconic “Holidays Are Coming” truck ad.

Islam ElDessouky, Coca-Cola’s global VP of creative strategy & content, said the campaign builds on last year's efforts.

"This creative truly embodies our commitment to inspiring the ‘Real Magic’ of authentic human connection during the holiday season,” he shared.

“We’re saluting people around the world whose generous acts of goodwill help make Christmas the most special time of year."

Pratik Thakar, Coca-Cola’s global VP and head of generative AI, emphasized that while AI enables visual innovation, the team "controlled every cinematic detail, from camera angles to physics-driven realism."

This includes "intuitive visual annotations mimicking a director’s workflow."

"Creative ambition, direction, and thought leadership have and always will be human-led.

AI is a superpower when it comes to execution and production, making what was previously impossible possible," he added. 

New Spots and Holiday Tour

In “A Holiday Memory,” a mother stressed out by holiday preparations takes a refreshing sip of Coca-Cola, then discovers a snow-globe ornament.

Inside it, festive figures come to life and dance to "Feliz Navidad," helping her reconnect with the magic of the season. 

Meanwhile, the refreshed “Holidays Are Coming” spots bring the famous Coca-Cola truck caravan back to life. 

This time, the truck catches the attention of animals like squirrels, polar bears, puppies, penguins, and rabbits whose eyes shine in wonder.

A behind-the-scenes version of the spot has also been posted on the company's YouTube page, showing how the creative was human-led despite the use of AI tools. 

Beyond TV, the campaign is fully integrated across digital video, social media, out-of-home, in-store displays, and on-pack promotions.

And for experiential impact, Coca-Cola’s Caravan and Truck Tour returns in November and December, bringing immersive Christmas experiences to communities around the world.

Bringing AI Back, for Better or Worse

Coca-Cola first experimented with its AI production during last year's holiday season, launching an iteration of its 1995 "Holidays are Coming" spot using the new tech. 

Across social media, viewers have called out the AI-generated characters present in the film for looking unsettling.

They're lifelike enough to be familiar, but still not fully human.

Even Alex Hirsch, the creator of Disney’s “Gravity Falls,” weighed in, taking a jab at Coca-Cola for choosing algorithms over actual artists.

Similar to its 2024 efforts, public reaction to Coca-Cola's latest campaign has been mixed.

And that's putting things nicely. 

According to media intelligence firm CARMA, about 32% of conversations so far are negative, with some criticizing the campaign’s reliance on AI for sacrificing nostalgia or creative depth.

Users on Reddit and YouTube have also called the soda giant out for not having learned its lesson and instead doubling down on AI use. 

"Coca Cola doesn’t want to pay working artists or to promote real creativity. They want to starve people, and feed digital slop to others to maximise profit going exclusively into billionaires pockets." one user wrote. 

What We Can Learn from Coca-Cola’s AI Holiday Push

For marketers, Coca-Cola’s move is proof that even the most iconic brands can stumble when tech outpaces emotion. It's a stark warning bout what happens when innovation outpaces empathy.

Here, we learn:

• AI can’t replace human touch, and audiences will notice when characters look off, even if the visuals are technically impressive.
• Nostalgia only works when it feels genuine, and over-engineering familiar icons risks turning warmth into something uncanny.
• Transparency matters: if you’re using AI, be clear about why or risk viewers assuming it’s just a cost-cutting move.

Our Take: Is AI 'Real' Magic?

I see Coca-Cola’s 2025 holiday effort as a bold bet not just on technology, but on the idea that tradition and innovation can coexist.

Their brand marketing strategy here is clearly to reignite nostalgia while showing that they’re not afraid to experiment.

However, they've already done this experiment before. 

Audiences are split, and some argue that the soul of the original ads gets lost in digital rendering.

But you know what they say, bad publicity is still good publicity.

If getting people talking was the goal following last year's AI conundrum, then Coca-Cola may have achieved it.

On the other hand, Walmart recently launched a human-led holiday campaign inspired by Dr.Seuss' "Whoville."