Coca-Cola’s New AI holiday Ad Misses the Mark
PLUS: Create a 30-Second Holiday Ad That Actually Lands
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📅 November 4, 2025 | ⏱️ 3-min read
🎯 The big picture
Customers are learning the difference between useful AI and AI slop in real time. When AI saves effort — like Chrome autofill or Gemini on a speaker — people feel the win and move on. When AI shows up as a messy ad or a weird brand spot, it breaks the moment and trust leaks out.
Here’s the line: AI that removes steps earns attention. AI that adds noise burns it. Coke’s holiday ad is a reminder — synthetic for synthetic’s sake doesn’t land. And the Japan IP pushback says the “free training data” era is ending. Provenance and permission aren’t legal footnotes; they’re part of the customer promise.
Your move:
Optimize for time saved. Ship features that cut taps, forms, and wait.
Keep a human in the loop. Use AI for drafts; finish with taste and craft.
Respect the source. Clear rights, cite origins, and say what’s AI-made.
Do that, and your AI feels like service — not spam.
📊 Today’s lineup
• Chrome adds AI-smarter autofill for passports/IDs
• Dia AI browser borrows Arc’s best tricks
• Gemini rolls out on Google Home devices
• Coca-Cola’s new AI holiday ad lands with a thud
• Japan’s top studios push back on OpenAI training data
1️⃣ Chrome now autofills passports and driver’s licenses — goodbye form fatigue
Chrome can now autofill details from your passport, driver’s license, and vehicle registration. The data stays encrypted in the browser, and you confirm before it fills a form. It’s rolling out on desktop first, with more fields coming soon.
Source: TechCrunch
Why it matters:
Long forms make people quit. This update reduces typing, typos, and stress at checkout or identity steps. That means fewer support tickets and more completed purchases.
What’s next:
Standardize your ID fields and labels. Then measure form abandonment before and after the change to prove impact.
2️⃣ Arc’s spirit lives on: Dia AI browser adds the “greatest hits”
The Dia browser is adding features many people loved in Arc, like a sidebar, vertical/pinned tabs, and picture-in-picture for Meet. Dia also includes built-in memory and simple agents, so it keeps context as you move between sites. An early build is available to testers now.
Source: TechCrunch
Why it matters:
Most customers don’t want to “prompt” a bot. They want faster answers. Cleaner tab management and light AI memory can reduce hunting, copying, and retyping across pages.
What’s next:
Give Dia to a small group of power users in research or support. Time how fast they find answers compared to Chrome or Safari. If it’s quicker, expand the pilot.
3️⃣ Gemini rolls out on Google Home devices — voice help that actually helps
Gemini for Home is rolling out on Nest and Google Home devices in the US. It’s a smarter voice assistant that handles more natural requests and multi-step tasks. Tom’s Guide walks through what’s live now and what to try first.
Source: Tom’s Guide
Why it matters:
Voice help only works if it saves time. With Gemini, customers can ask in plain language, get clearer answers, and run routines without memorizing commands. That means fewer taps, fewer drop-offs, and less need to contact support.
What’s next:
Turn on early access in the Google Home app, test top journeys (lights, returns info, delivery status), and write short “Try this” tips in your help center. Add privacy notes so customers know what’s processed on-device vs. in cloud.
4️⃣ Coca-Cola’s new AI holiday ad misses the mark — a caution sign for brand teams
Coca-Cola released a new AI-generated holiday ad. Viewers are calling out odd visuals and “uncanny” moments. It follows last year’s backlash and shows the creative risks of fully synthetic production.
Source: The Verge
Why it matters:
Customers notice when AI breaks the magic. Poor visuals or tone can hurt brand trust fast. AI is a tool, not a shortcut.
What’s next:
Use AI for drafting and testing, then layer in human editing and real footage. Set a “quality bar” checklist before any AI spot ships.
5️⃣ Japan’s biggest studios push back on AI training — content rules are changing
A Japanese trade group representing Studio Ghibli, Bandai Namco, and Square Enix urged OpenAI to stop using their content to train models. They argue opt-out policies may violate Japan’s copyright law.
Source: The Verge
Why it matters:
If rights holders tighten rules, generative tools may show fewer beloved characters or styles. That affects what customers see in AI-created content and ads.
What’s next:
Review your AI asset pipeline. Keep proofs of rights, licenses, and opt-ins. Build “safe packs” of cleared styles and references for creators.
⚡ Quick hits
• Apple — iOS 26.1 adds more Apple Intelligence languages + clarity toggles → better global support and fewer translation hiccups for help content.
• YouTube — “Edit with AI” starts rolling out for Shorts → cheaper, faster product videos and more shoppable moments.
• Google — first AI-made TV ads promote Search’s AI Mode → new creative testing loops and attribution paths for performance marketers.
💡 CX Prompt Tip of the Day
“30-Second Holiday Ad That Actually Lands”
Paste this as-is and fill the brackets:
You are an award-winning creative director and film editor.
Make a 30-second HOLIDAY COMMERCIAL for [BRAND] promoting [PRODUCT] to [PRIMARY AUDIENCE] with the goal of [SINGLE OUTCOME, e.g., “add to cart,” “download app”].
Tone: warm, human, modern—not cheesy. Real people, real moments. Zero uncanny AI vibes.
OUTPUT (exactly in this order):
1) One-line big idea (max 12 words).
2) Emotional hook (first 3 seconds) that stops the scroll.
3) Story arc in 5 beats:
• Beat 1: setup
• Beat 2: tension
• Beat 3: human moment
• Beat 4: product solves
• Beat 5: payoff/CTA
4) 30-sec script with timestamps (0:00–0:30). Include:
• VOICEOVER lines
• On-screen action (natural, simple)
• On-screen text/captions (max 6 words each)
5) Shot list (8 shots, 3–4 sec each): camera angle, framing, movement, location, time of day.
6) Art direction: color palette, wardrobe, props, lighting; avoid “AI plastic skin.” Reference real-world textures.
7) Music/SFX: genre + 2 cue beats (e.g., “drop at 0:12”).
8) End card: logo lockup, CTA, URL/QR placement, legal line.
9) 15-sec cutdown: keep hook + beats 3–5 only.
10) Social variants: 9:16 TikTok/Reels caption (max 80 chars) + thumbnail text (max 4 words).
GUARDRAILS:
- No deepfakes, no celebrity look-alikes, no copyrighted characters.
- Diverse casting; everyday settings.
- Show product in use at least twice, naturally.
- Keep reading level ~7th grade. Short sentences. No jargon.
MANDATORIES (verbatim):
- CTA: “[CTA TEXT]”
- Offer/date (if any): “[OFFER/DATES]”
- Brand voice notes: “[3 short traits, e.g., ‘kind, clear, confident’]”
How to use (fast)
Fill the brackets in one line each.
Run it in your creative tool (or with your video AI).
Pick the 30s or 15s version for TV/CTV; use the 9:16 for social.
Why this beats the “uncanny” stuff
Starts with a human moment, not a VFX flex.
Keeps copy at 7th-grade level—easy to feel, easy to share.
Forces natural product use, twice. No hollow “AI magic.”
See you tomorrow! 👋
Mark
P.S. Today’s question: Where did you see AI cross the line from helpful to hype—and what would have made it feel human again? Share a real example (good or bad) and the one fix you’d make.