I’ve worked in creative production long enough to have seen the onslaught of many a “next-big-thing”—DSLR cinematography, drone footage, fully virtual production, and now, of course, AI. I’ve directed and produced campaigns that used 100% traditional tools, and others built around AI-driven workflows. These days, the question isn’t whether you can use AI, it’s whether you should.  

Right now, AI is awfully seductive to clients and agency leaders alike: faster output, lower costs, infinite creative variations. It’s a “get on the bus or get left behind” kind of game-changing technology that has significantly supercharged many parts of our workflow. But as AI becomes ubiquitous, it ceases to impress. Audiences have already gotten wise. They’re asking: Does this feel real? Does this feel human? Does this feel like something someone cared to craft?  

Brands need to tread carefully.  

Take Coke’s new holiday ad, for instance. Coke introduced the jolly Santa in the red suit we all love so much back in 1931, and they've owned the holiday ever since. No doubt to keep hold of that association in the minds of their audiences, all they had to do was play good defense and run some warm fuzzy spots around the holidays. This year, their spot is 100% AI-generated (and, as an aside, still took 100 people and a month to make). 

The comments section is gold if you want a good chuckle.  

• "The unintended irony of using "Real Magic" as the tagline is hilarious."
• "All these decades trying to cure my coke addiction. This did it in 60 seconds."
• "The most profitable commercial in Pepsi's history."

An early image of Santa used by the Coca-Cola company.

In my opinion, this is a perfect example of a dangerous move. Coke is "Always The Real Thing"... right? Consumers are rankling against AI harder than ever (whether brands and bottom lines like it or not). Blowback from the recent ad speak for themselves. Everyone’s saying the same things: “Where’s the warmth? Where’s the humanity? Where’s the hug-your-grandma feeling Coke used to own?” Which committee decided that “The Real Thing” brand should hand the most nostalgia-driven moment of the year to machine learning? 

Are we all witnessing in real time that "Always" morph into "Sometimes" and the inevitable slip into "No Longer"? Coke is handing Pepsi et al an opportunity to steal what’s arguably one of Coke’s greatest assets: Christmas. Is it worth the efficiency gains on the spot? 

What recent research actually says (and why it matters)  

As recently as 2025, a survey from Gartner found that 53% of U.S. consumers report low trust in AI-powered search and content summarization tools, signaling broader skepticism about AI’s outputs—especially in informational or content-heavy contexts. 

• People want transparency, and trust collapses when they don't get it: 72% of global respondents say brands should disclose when they use AI to create content, and 76% say undisclosed AI usage erodes brand trust.
• People prefer human-made creative work for emotional storytelling: 78% of U.S. adults say they are uncomfortable with AI-generated content used in emotionally sensitive contexts, including advertising meant to evoke nostalgia or human connection.
• Consumers believe AI lacks empathy, warmth, and "human touch." 69% of consumers worldwide agree that AI lacks the empathy needed for meaningful storytelling or emotional communication.
• Misuse of AI in marketing backfires financially. Brands that deploy AI-generated creative in high-emotion campaigns see up to a 30-40% decrease in engagement compared with human-led creative, primarily due to "perceived inauthenticity." 

Combined, these data points suggest AI can create extremely convincing visuals, but convincing doesn't guarantee trust, favorability, or brand affinity. And for many consumers, hidden or unlabeled AI feels even more like a bait-and-switch.

It may be lo-fi, but Coke's 1995 holiday spot still delivers all the feels.

Where AI makes sense, and where it doesn’t  

Good uses (high value, low risk) ✅ 

• Previsualization & concept work: storyboards, mood boards, rough comps. AI speeds ideation and saves human-hours without touching final creative polish.
• Repetitive or high-volume tasks: resize/cut-downs, localization or personalization, templated social ads, etc. AI works well if humans review and refine. 
• Post-production efficiency tools: background cleanup, rotoscoping, color grading prep, editing assistance. These are tools for humans, not replacements. 
• Data-driven personalization or modular creative: where brand messaging shifts per audience but core creative remains solid. AI helps scale while humans maintain tone & voice.  

High-stakes (proceed with caution) ⚠️ 

• Brand-defining moments: holiday campaigns (e.g. Coke), heritage or legacy brand messages, and emotionally charged storytelling. These need authenticity, human imperfection, and real warmth. 
• Content meant to build trust, empathy, or connection: founder stories, testimonials, social proof, or anything tied to human emotion or identity. AI often flattens nuance. 
• Visuals or campaigns tied to nostalgia or “real-life” identity: Audiences have expectations tied to memory and authenticity. Synthetic feels cheap and fake. 
• Any time you’re obscuring authorship or hiding AI use: Consumers are increasingly savvy and skeptical. They expect transparency, and missteps here erode long-term trust. 

An AI-generated Christmas mural in London recently sparked backlash.

How brands can guard against consumer “turnoff” in an AI-saturated age  

• Lead with purpose, not tools. Begin every project with the core creative question: What emotion or message are we trying to communicate? Then decide whether AI helps or hinders that aim. 
• Use hybrid workflows, not full automation. AI assists; human creators define and refine. That preserves authenticity while leveraging speed and efficiency. 
• Protect your brand’s emotional capital. If you build brand value on human warmth, shared history, or lived experience, don’t hand that over to a machine. 
• Test carefully. In contexts where you expect critical eyes (older demographics, culturally sensitive audiences, nostalgia-driven messaging), consider focus groups or staged pilots before full roll-out. 

AI Is a Tool. Strategy Is the Driver.

Love it or hate it, AI part of the creative ecosystem now. But more common doesn’t necessarily mean more effective. As AI becomes ubiquitous, the bar shifts: not for novelty/perceived production value, but for judgment.

So, Pepsi, if you’re listening, here’s your freebie: Shoot a real, actual holiday ad. Simple, humble, beautifully lit with a clean Bing Crosby style track. Real people, real light, real laughter, real snow that melts on real noses. Maybe even show the real people at the end behind the scenes shooting and editing and working on the spot. No anthropomorphic seals or sloths or larger-than-life phantasmagoria.
 
Then, nail the coffin with “People make Pepsi.” Claim the humanity Coke has abandoned. You’re welcome, Pepsi. I accept payment in blue cans and residuals.