Coca-Cola has recreated its well-known 1995 "Holidays Are Coming" commercial using artificial intelligence. The company worked with three AI studios to create different versions of the classic advertisement.
The soft drink maker is among the first major companies to create TV ads entirely with AI technology. The company announced that its AI studios—Secret Level, Silverside AI, and Wild Card—each produced their own version of the commercial, which will run on television, streaming platforms, and digital video worldwide.
AI and human collaboration
According to Pratik Thakar, Coca-Cola's Vice President and Global Head of Generative AI, the production mainly used Leonardo, Luma, and Runway AI models.
Secret Level founder Jason Zada tells AdAge that during production, they added the new Kling AI model, which creates more lifelike movements. That it became an integral part of production in a short amount of time shows how quickly AI technology is advancing, Zada says.
Secret Level's version used real actors' likenesses with their permission, and the iconic "Holidays Are Coming" music features new recordings with live musicians and singers.
Zada said that the AI approach significantly reduced production costs and time, explaining that a traditional production "would be, you know, several million dollars and a lot of time in the cold." He added, "We were able to do all of that, you know, from the comfort of everyone's home, we have global artists all over the world that we worked with."
The process wasn't perfect, though. Zada noted that one scene involving an AI-generated squirrel took "a couple hundred" iterations to get right.
Mixed reactions
PJ Pereira, CEO of Silverside AI, says his company created more than 10,000 individual images and 5,000 video segments for the project, resulting in more than 100 final assets, including versions for different markets.
While the work required "way less effort" than traditional production, Pereira noted that it still required significant human input, describing the process as "way more human than machine."
One of the three AI commercials. | Video: via LinkedIn, PJ Pereira
So far, the spot has received mixed reviews on social media and in the press. While the quality of the AI production seems high for what can be done with generative AI today, some critics say it looks artificial and less polished compared to the spot's traditional productions.
PJ Pereira defends the technology: "All I can say is from the inside, this project felt like a very human experience in telling a story through the limitations and the potential of a new technology. And if felt very very human process. In fact, I think we are just brushing the surface of what can be a revolution in how we tell stories."
