Alignment over algorithm

THE JURY IS OUT ON WHETHER COCA-COLA'S LATEST HOLIDAY CAMPAIGN ISA TRENDSETTER ORAN AI OVERKILL

- CHRISTINA MONIZ

BRANDS HAVE A long history of jumping on to the next-big-thing bandwagon.

Beverage major Coca-Cola seems to have fallen into the same trap with its recently released campaign for the upcoming holiday season. Its Christmas campaign this time is a recreation of the iconic 1995 ad film, ‘Holidays Are Coming’. The ad features the usual holiday characters right from Santa Claus to the trademark Coke truck that drives past a bevy of creatures like polar bears and penguins before making its way to consumers.

Social media criticism has been relentless since the ad’s release a week ago, with savage comments like “the best ad Pepsi never paid for” among many others. Coca-Cola has been forced to defend its use of technology, with global vice-president and head of generative AI Pratik Thakar asserting there’s no retreating from AI. “The genie’s out of the bottle,” he told a gathering in Atlanta. “You either lead with it, or you keep crying about it.”

So what’s the furore all about?

The criticism hinges on the use of technology with critics saying AI wasn’t treated as part of the process but a layer sprinkled on top.