Originally published on LinkedIn (reformatted for zahradnik.io / Medium)
Coca-Cola called their new Christmas AI commercial a “revolution in storytelling.”
Critics were dismissed as “artists afraid of losing their jobs.”
Some statements even compared the spot to Hollywood-grade animation.
But that’s not what the public saw.
The original video — a 1:18-minute AI-generated ad — was filled with visual artifacts:
- blurred background details,
- morphing trucks,
- uncanny character movement.
Feedback was overwhelmingly negative.
And then something unusual happened.
The video disappeared — but the stats didn’t
If you visit Coca-Cola’s official YouTube channel now, that original version is gone.
In its place is a shorter, 1-minute cut.
This ad replaced the original in silence.
But here’s the interesting part:
Coca-Cola kept the same video ID, the same analytics, and the same engagement history.
Normally, YouTube does not allow this.
You cannot replace a video and keep its stats.
Only a handful of global corporations have that privilege.
Coca-Cola is one of them.
Instead of acknowledging the misfire, they simply replaced the evidence.
This isn’t about Coca-Cola. It’s about the future.
The deeper question is this:
👉 What happens when “AI storytelling” meets corporate revisionism?
We often worry about fake ads.
But the future of marketing might be something subtler — and more powerful:
Real ads rewritten silently.
Improved Coca-Cola Ad — If you build with AI, don’t fear the uncanny valley. Use it.
