Dynamic Insights

Holidays are cancelled: has Artificial Intelligence ruined a classic Christmas ad?

BY TOM FOULKES

04 DECEMBER 24

Does Coca-Cola’s Christmas advert act as a warning for using AI in digital learning?

Has a glimpse of Coca-Cola’s red truck marked the start of the festive season for you? For many, their beloved Holidays are Coming advert—first aired almost 30 years ago in 1995—is a sure fast sign that Christmas is just around the corner. But, this year, they’ve taken a bold step and attempted to update their iconic campaign for today’s audience.

But here’s the catch… it’s been done completely using their own Real Magic AI.

See it for yourself:

Following the success of their Create Real Magic contest, which invited artists to use AI to create work for digital billboards in London and New York, Coca-Cola likely anticipated similar positive reception for their AI-generated Christmas ad. However, initial reactions have been overwhelmingly negative, with many viewers criticising the “soulless” visuals and lack of emotional impact.

So, what went wrong? Could Coca-Cola have anticipated this response? And what lessons can we draw for the potential benefits and pitfalls of using AI in digital learning? Grab your favourite cola flavoured, soft drink (other brands are available) and explore how responsible and careful use of AI can enhance your learning offerings.

Where did Coca-Cola go wrong (and why)?

To really understand why this advert has gone down like Santa down a narrow chimney and avoid repeating the same mistakes, it’s important to first think about why Coca-Cola thought this was the right way to go.

In an interview with Marketing Week, Javier Meza, The EU chief marketing officer at Coca-Cola said that AI was never the starting point, but simply an “efficient” way to bring their traditional advert into the present day. Yes, you guessed it! Time and money played a factor in the decision-making process. And if a multi-billion-dollar company is using generative AI as a way to cut costs, why shouldn’t you?

Well, in this specific case, there’s a few reasons actually…

Capturing the feeling of Christmas

A key element of Coca-Cola’s 1995 classic ad was its ability to provoke a strong emotional response and a sense of nostalgia and warmth. If you’re like me, the familiar imagery of the red truck, the snow falling down and the jolly, heart-warming music has become synonymous with the holiday season. But the feedback on this new ad, or indeed any AI generated content, is that it misses this feeling completely.

Whether it’s the ‘fakeness’ of the smiles, the blurriness of the scenes or the slightly unnerving squirrel seen in some versions of the ad, it simply doesn’t give you that warm, fuzzy feeling inside. In fact, some viewers reported feeling sick instead of excited for the festive period. This phenomenon is known as the uncanny valley, where something that is almost, but not quite, human-like or realistic can be unsettling or even repulsive. So, efforts to include happy onlookers with wide eyes and beaming smiles, in this case, ends up a little more creepy than Christmassy.

Emotion is an important part of the learning process

Just like the emotions in the original Coca-Cola advert, great learning experiences engage and resonate with their audience. In fact, there’s plenty of research that shows that emotional connection is a key factor in engagement, retention and implementation of learning. While it’s true that AI can help to explore ideas and scope scene-setting stories and case studies, which can help to connect and motivate an audience, can it really understand and evoke human emotion?

I don’t think many people would disagree with me saying, categorically, no. Now, I don’t know enough about advancements in machine learning to say it never will, but at least for the moment, it cannot fully replicate the creativity, empathy and nuanced understanding that human experts bring to the table. That’s because to understand humans, you need to be, well, human.

In recent years, L&D has shifted towards a human-centred approach, with more and more organisations recognising the value of engagement and emotional connection in supporting their workforce and enabling performance. As we continue to refine our processes and understanding of these elements, I’d argue it’d be premature to fully outsource our impact to AI. We’re only just getting to grips with true audience engagement and emotional connection, so should we really be looking for ways to shirk this responsibility?

We put people at the core of our design process – which is why it’s one of our design principles.

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Replacing human creativity

This leads me on nicely to my next observation. It’s not necessarily that audiences wouldn’t welcome an updated version of Holidays are Coming, it’s the approach taken by Coca-Cola that’s really put people off. This is as much about the way it looks as it is it about the process of making it. Not only has it removed the human emotion and Christmas warmth from the ad, the use of AI has also removed the human touch that people crave.

The great AI debate...

I won’t dig too deep into the for and against argument swirling around the use of AI in creative mediums—an issue at the heart of the 2023 Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and Writers Guild of America (WGA) strikes. But it’s important to say that this audience’s response isn’t an isolated incident. Other large companies have faced a backlash over their use of AI instead of human creativity, including Marvel, who faced criticism when it revealed that opening credits for its Disney+ Secret Invasion series were produced completely by AI.

As the use of AI has continued to grow, we’ve all become accustomed to seeing a lot more of it in the workplace and beyond. And in some respects, we all have the same turned-off response. When something is obviously AI, whether it’s a warped image or being told to “embark on a journey” in an email or newsletter, it tends to negatively affect the way we react.

Can generated content truly replace human input? And should it?

Now, you’re not as likely to receive scathing criticism from your workforce for implementing AI in your workflows and materials, but that doesn’t mean you should automate everything you do. Not only does this have the potential to present serious challenges in consistency and quality, but it might also just lose that human spark of creativity that moves learning from a chore to a positive experience.

Yes, AI can save time and money and help you to solve challenges with localising content and overcoming the development curve, but the true success of L&D lies in designing experiences that resonate with people on a personal level. And human intervention is the key to achieving this. By embracing AI thoughtfully and strategically, rather than being led by it, you’ll improve your work without compromising that human touch that makes it special.

Remember, AI is a tool, not a replacement for your expertise and creativity.

Was it simply too early?

Perhaps this is simply a case of right attitude, wrong timing. Yes, we’ve seen rapid advancements in what’s possible with AI, especially in its ability to generate creative ideas and content, but as this advert proves, it’s not quite at the point where it can replace human creativity and spark entirely (and, even if it does, hopefully it won’t replace us entirely!).

Pair that with the ongoing ethical debate about the implications of AI, and you pretty much get the opposite of the feeling that the 1995 original advert is famous for. The last thing people want to feel when watching their favourite festive celebration is worried about the future, sceptical of the format and, in some cases, disgusted by the human-like characters displayed.

Should you start using AI in your L&D activities?

So, does this example act as a warning against all things AI in L&D? Should you be swerving AI like rum punch at the work Christmas party? Or should you be brave, break the mould and use AI as much as you can? It’s not a straightforward answer.

While Coca-Cola’s advert might have left a sour taste for its audiences, you’re at one distinct advantage; no one’s asking you to uphold the standards or reflect the quality and feelings of the computer-based learning programmes available back in 1995 (and there’s plenty of ways you can use AI behind the scenes to speed up your processes and improve your learning materials).

I can say with some level of certainty that AI is here to stay, so locking it away in a drawer and forgetting about it simply isn’t an option. My advice would be to go and get experimenting. Whether you explore AI course creation software (and it’s limitations), start localising your content using online AI translation services or simply use a chatbot (ChatGPT and co) to proofread your copy and content, growing your confidence— and your skills—when using AI is a good place to start.

Remember, what you think is a great piece of AI generated content could look different to someone else, including your learners, so it’s a great idea to get another pair of eyes on what you’re doing.

Feedback and practice make perfect!

Want to teach your people about generative AI and how to use it in their daily work?

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What AI skills do you need for success?

It’s likely that you’ve already begun to use AI in some way or another to improve the quality of the service you provide and increase the impact of your business. As you move forward, it’s really important to invest not only in becoming more competent and confident using AI to improve your processes and learning materials, but also to become familiar and aware of the ethical and legal implications of using AI to support your work—not to mention the effect it has on your audiences.

There are a million and one different people talking about the different skills you need to successfully use AI in your L&D department. And the truth is, the landscape changes too quickly to keep up! The best way to stay well-informed of what’s happening is to follow the people with their ears to the ground. Here are a few of my favourite thought leaders to get you started:

DONALD TAYLOR

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EGLE VINAUSKAITE

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ROSS STEVENSON

FOLLOW ON LINKEDIN >

Is there someone you think belongs on this list? Maybe you can add to my favourites?

Contact me via LinkedIn with recommendations >

THIS CHRISTMAS

Should AI be on your wish list?

The uptake of AI in L&D and beyond is already well underway. As you start to think about ways you can implement AI into your operational processes, content development and generation activities and potentially even in your daily work outside the scope of learning, think about whether the return will justify and support the means.

Remember, just because there are countless tools that offer course creation at the snap of your fingers, that doesn’t mean they’ll be right for your audience or deliver your intended outcomes. Yes, this can speed up creation of individual assets and save time and money for the projects that really matter, but it’s still very much true that real impact takes time.

Think of AI as more of a co-pilot for success (Microsoft got it right there!) rather than a replacement for your skills, expertise and genuine human creativity. There’s plenty of ways that AI can make your life easier and your learning products better—but your use of AI needs to be intentional and well-thought-out.

AI is for life, not just for a Coca-Cola Christmas. How can you upskill yourself in 2025?

Want to work with someone who’ll blend creativity and AI innovation? We’ll guide you through the learning design process.

Dynamic Insights

Holidays are cancelled: has Artificial Intelligence ruined a classic Christmas ad?

BY TOM FOULKES

04 DECEMBER 24

Does Coca-Cola’s Christmas advert act as a warning for using AI in digital learning?

Where did Coca-Cola go wrong (and why)?