Ruining Christmas with one ad! Why did the AI ​​ads of Coca-Cola and Toys "R" Us cause public backlash?

Coca-Cola launched its first AI-generated Christmas ad this year, recreating the popular "Holidays are Coming" ad from 1995. However, the 15-second commercial video aroused strong negative responses. Many viewers considered the advertisement "soulless" and "weird." Most of the criticism focused on the "absent Santa Claus".

The Santa Claus character has been a symbol of Coca-Cola's Christmas ads for years, but in this year's ad, only Santa's hands appear. Many viewers were disappointed and angry, and believed that the ad ruined the magic of Christmas. The ad was even criticized as "the death of Santa Claus."

Coca-Cola's Christmas ad features innovative technology, but viewers aren't buying it

Coca-Cola officially claimed that this advertisement was created through in-house Real Magic AI technology and was designed to show how the brand uses innovative technology to spread joy, but the audience did not buy it. Some netizens ridiculed on X: "Using AI for Christmas ads? You might as well just end the world." Some even called on Coca-Cola to fire the relevant advertising team, criticizing the ad as "AI garbage".

Toys "R" Us also faced a public relations crisis due to AI advertising. Toys 'R' Us tried to use AI technology to create advertisements to describe the sudden inspiration of founder Charles Lazarus. Dreamland. However, this advertisement became the target of public criticism due to problems such as unnatural images and deformed characters. The young version of Charles keeps deforming in the advertisement. Some viewers described him as "like walking out of a strange dream." The twisted toys and inconsistent movements presented in the advertisement even made the audience feel uncomfortable.

The ad was criticized for being soulless and even offensive to children's "imaginative" nature. Some netizens bluntly said that using AI to promote children's products is a betrayal of art. Although Toys "R" Us tried to explain it as "paying tribute to the innovative spirit of the founder", it was still difficult to quell the criticism. Some viewers believe that AI advertising is just a means for companies to reduce costs and does not truly pursue innovation.

Multiple controversies caused by AI advertising: lack of soul and artistry

The controversy over AI advertising not only remains at the level of effectiveness, but also touches on artistic issues. The poster for the second season of the League of Legends spin-off series "Arcane" recently launched on Netflix was found by viewers to have unnatural hand proportions, which is a typical flaw in AI creation.

The poster for the second season of the League of Legends spin-off series "Arcane" recently launched on Netflix was discovered by viewers that the character's hand proportions in the poster were unnatural, which is a typical AI creation flaw.

Although Netflix did not respond and quietly removed the poster, it has already been criticized by viewers. Alex Shahmiri, head of brand at gaming company Riot Games, said this was a "wrong decision" and emphasized that he has always opposed the use of AI-generated content.

This incident not only once again questioned the rationality of the application of AI technology in the field of art, but also made creators feel offended. Shahmiri bluntly said: "What makes art special is that it can convey human emotions and connections, which cannot be replaced by AI." When the animation studio Fortiche demonstrated the excellent quality of hand-drawn art, the emergence of AI posters undoubtedly became the highlight of this film. stain on the work.

AI advertisements try to please the audience with technological innovation, but due to the lack of human warmth and delicate emotional expression, they frequently step on the bottom line of consumers. Whether it's Coca-Cola's failure to deliver holiday magic, Toys "R" Us's "distortion" of creativity, or Netflix's AI posters, it all shows that although AI technology is powerful, its application in the creative field still needs to be considered.

These failure cases also serve as a warning to brands: technological innovation that ignores audience emotions and underestimates traditional values ​​will only be counterproductive. If brands can find a balance between innovation and humanity in the future, AI advertising may truly become an amazing revolution rather than a disappointing experiment.

Source: The Times of India, Forbes, GamesRadar