Coca-Cola’s 2025 Christmas Commercial Is AI-Generated Once Again — This Time With Even Fewer People

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Coca-Cola has released another Christmas ad created using artificial intelligence, and it’s already sparking discussion online.

The new 2025 holiday commercial features the brand’s iconic trucks driving through winter scenes, but with a twist: the ad stars animals exclusively. A human appears briefly at the very end, portraying Santa Claus in the classic style of the original Coca-Cola illustrations by Haddon Sundblom.

Coca-Cola’s Christmas ad this year was created using artificial intelligence, just like last year. The company stated they involved even fewer people in the making of the ad, emphasizing that AI is here to stay and its potential can’t be ignored.

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) November 3, 2025

I remember last year when Coca-Cola released their holiday ad, and it got a lot of backlash. It turned out a lot of the people, objects, and even animals in the ad weren’t real – they were created using AI! It really sparked a conversation about how companies are using this technology.

Hollywood writer Alex Hirsch made a humorous but pointed comment, saying Coca-Cola is “red because it’s made from the blood of out-of-work artists.” This playfully criticized the commercial’s style and raised worries about its effect on artists’ livelihoods. Even with the negative reaction, the ad still garnered billions of views.

Coca-Cola partnered with AI studio Secret Level in Los Angeles for this year’s advertising campaign, hoping it will resonate more positively with audiences.

Pratik Thakar, Coca-Cola’s head of generative AI, recently told The Hollywood Reporter that while last year’s work received some criticism, this year’s is a significant improvement. He acknowledges that not everyone will be pleased, but if most consumers react positively, it will be considered a success and they’ll continue with the project.

The Coca-Cola commercial features its iconic trucks driving through various places, observed by animals like seals and pandas. The ad concludes with an image of Santa Claus, created using classic artwork by Sundblom. These paintings played a significant role in shaping the popular image of Santa – a jolly, bearded man in a red and white suit, often seen with a Coca-Cola.

Jason Zada, the founder of Secret Level, explained that they aimed for the advertisement to have the polished look of a professional animated film. He told The Hollywood Reporter that the highest praise he receives is when viewers don’t realize the video was created using AI.

Coca-Cola partnered with Secret Level to create their latest commercial using artificial intelligence. They used powerful AI models to create the animation, starting with thousands of images and then refining it with human artistry. This year, the animals’ facial expressions and movements were entirely created by AI – a feat that wasn’t possible with the technology last year.

Coca-Cola isn’t new to using AI in its ads. In 2023, they created a campaign called “Masterpiece” that made famous paintings seem to come alive alongside Coke bottles. However, that campaign didn’t cause the same negative reaction as their holiday ad from last year.

Thakar shared that his company is integrating AI into a broader overhaul of its marketing strategy. He noted that their decision to fully commit to AI last year proved successful, leading to strong consumer engagement. While some in the industry disapproved of their use of a completely AI-generated film, he views that criticism as a natural consequence of being innovative.

The 2025 ad was made with a smaller team than most commercials of this scope, but Zada believes this is a good thing, not a sign of job losses. He explained that with the right approach, smaller teams can actually be much more productive and create even more innovative work. “You could do 10 times as much at scale,” he noted.

People have had a varied response to the new AI advertisement. CARMA, a media monitoring company, reports that only 10.2% of online discussions about the ad were positive, compared to 32% that expressed negative opinions.

According to Truescope data, most conversations about Coca-Cola’s new ad centered on its use of AI. While some people appreciated the technology, others felt the ad lacked the emotional impact of Coca-Cola’s classic campaigns, and worried the company was choosing cheaper production over creative storytelling. A small number of commenters even said they preferred ads from Pepsi. Interestingly, some people thought the negative attention was actually intentional, and part of Coca-Cola’s overall marketing plan.

Thakar is optimistic about how AI will continue to shape Coca-Cola’s marketing efforts. He believes AI is here to stay, stating, “Once this technology is available, there’s no going back.” The company intends to keep experimenting with AI in future campaigns, including large events like March Madness.

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2025-11-04 12:45