‘The Holidays Are Coming’ – time to ‘pause & refresh’

Several advertising industry sources have made note of the fact that 2025 marks the 30-year anniversary of the classic Christmas season commercials aired by The Coca-Cola Company under “The Holidays Are Coming” campaign umbrella.

 

The Coca-Cola Christmas commercials are regarded by many as being “masterful,” including Australia’s Dr. Mark Ritson, who is a frequent contributor to Adweek magazine. The commercials first aired on television in 1995 and established the red convoy of Coca-Cola beverage trucks “as a herald of the festive season.”

 

“The campaign now runs in more than 100 countries with data confirming that the ad hasn’t just maintained its appeal, it is actually getting more effective with each passing year. Consumers welcome its familiarity,” Dr. Ritson said.  

 

“It’s almost pointless that Coca-Cola still creates new Christmas ads,” he said, “yet they make one every year, and it invariably performs worse than the holiday classic.”

 

The 2025 theme is “Refresh Your Holidays,” and the new work blends AI (artificial intelligence) and human craft to “reimagine” Coca-Cola’s 1995 ‘The Holidays Are Coming’ formula that has defined the brand’s festive marketing for 30 years,” wrote Matt Barker, a contributing writer at Adweek.

 

“This time, a convoy of light-wrapped red trucks once again cuts through a snowy landscape, sparking joy among animals and people alike,” he said.

 

“Coca-Cola’s holiday work has not been without controversy, after last year’s AI-driven campaign drew debate inside the industry and beyond. 

Despite the backlash, the company has again used AI to refresh ‘The Holidays Are Coming,’ while emphasizing it was made through ‘collaboration between human creativity and cutting-edge technology.’” 

Barker said Coca-Cola collaborated with San Francisco-based studios Silverside AI and Secret Level on the refreshed “The Holidays Are Coming’ ads.”

Coca-Cola officials said: “Last year, people criticized the craftsmanship. But this year the craftsmanship is 10 times better. There will be people who criticize – we cannot keep everyone 100% happy. But if the majority of consumers see it in a positive way, it’s worth going forward.”

Lara O’Reilly, senior correspondent with Business Insider magazine, said: “Eagle-eyed viewers have noticed glitchy inconsistencies,” but others are crediting Coke as being an AI pioneer, “rather than waiting for it to be 100% ready.”

“Never mind the critics – does the ad do its job?” O’Reilly asked. A panel of experts give the new Coca-Cola ads “the highest possible score,” she said.

Dino Burbidge, an independent innovation specialist based in London, England, is a stickler for AI accuracy. He said several of the “wheel movements” on the Coca-Cola trucks are seriously flawed.

“Is this the slippery slope that previously trusted media and production values will go down because ‘consumers don’t notice or don’t care?’” Burbidge asked. “Craft, creativity and quality should hold true. As soon as we let that go, who’s going to fight for it?”

O’Reilly noted that Coca-Cola’s original 1995 “The Holidays Are Coming” commercial used three real 40-foot trucks decorated with 30,000 light bulbs. Primetime national commercials like this are usually expensive and time-consuming productions, she added.

Jason Zada, the founder of Secret Level, says the 2025 AI-generated ads for Coca-Cola took about a month to create with a team of 20 people.

 

O’Reilly said that Generative AI promises to reduce the cost of animation by up to 90%, as The New York Times reported this year, “and savings like that are simply too tempting to ignore.”

The brand is also reviving its Christmas truck tour, “The Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan.” It included stops in North Carolina Dec. 4-7.

 

Sponsored in part by Coca-Cola Consolidated of Charlotte, the largest independent Coca-Cola bottler in the United States, the fully decorated trucks made appearances in Belmont, Charlotte, Gastonia, Hunters Village and Lincolnton.