Coca-Cola hoped their this year’s AI-powered holiday ad would finally be the one that wins everyone over. Unfortunately, for them, the reaction feels a lot like last year’s blowback, showing that even a shiny, revamped “Holidays Are Coming” message can’t escape the drama when AI and creativity keep butting heads.
Coca-Cola AI ad creator addresses backlash
Jason Zada, the founder of AI studio Secret Level, knew this year’s Coca-Cola holiday ad was going to spark feelings, especially after the mixed reactions last time. Even with upgraded tech and a cleaner look, artists still rejected it.
On X(formerly Twitter), concept artist Reid Southen called the spot “stupid, ugly trash,” while illustrator Karla Ortiz asked fans to boycott it, and animator and writer Alex Hirsch once again warned that AI tools put real artists’ livelihoods at risk. As for Zada, he isn’t shocked, and he claims he saw all of this coming.
The Emmy-winning director told The Hollywood Reporter that most people have the wrong idea about how the Coca-Cola holiday ad was made. “It’s not just saying a series of words and pressing buttons. I hope people can see that. We do a lot of fine-tuning, a lot of very specific things to make the animation just like traditional animation.”
Moreover, around 20 artists worked on the project. They designed characters, sketched ideas, and even added hand-drawn touches to the AI-made Santa. According to Zada, AI is a powerful tool that helps small creative teams move “at the speed of culture.” Instead of spending months on one holiday ad, his team completed it in under a month. They even delivered multiple iterations, including a 90-second version.
Jason Zada also shut down the idea that AI automatically rips off artists. In his view, every big tech leap, from early visual effects to today’s 3D software, sparked the same panic at first. However, over time, those tools ended up creating more jobs, not fewer, and that AI will do the same.
“You had model builders and painters who now maybe had less work when computers came around, but it created a whole new market that employed way more people than the traditional model,” he stated.
Zada further defended Coca-Cola’s 2025 Holiday ad. He concluded, “With our new ad, we go around the world and see animals from different parts of the world. We put happiness on faces, smiles on faces. Why would you get mad about something like that?”
Originally reported by Rishabh Shandilya on Mandatory.
