This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Artificial intelligence can create realistic depictions of just about anything, but that does not mean advertisers should lean on the technology, according to a study led by University of Mississippi professors. Some AI-generated or AI-supported ad campaigns, such as Coca-Cola's 2023 Create Real Magic platform, are embraced and enjoyed by consumers.
Others, however, such as Coca-Cola's 2025 "Holidays Are Coming" commercial, face mockery and customer backlash. In a new study published in Journal of Interactive Advertising, Ole Miss researchers Chang-Won Choi and Robert Magee sought to find out why consumer reactions differ and how advertisers can best employ AI in their work. "Nowadays, many marketers are just saying, 'Hey, why don't we use AI?' but I don't recommend that," said Choi, assistant professor of integrated marketing communications.
"Marketers should start with the campaign idea first and ask, 'Is AI necessary?'" "It's a simple question. If the answer is yes, the reason why should be clearly understood." Coca-Cola's Create Real Magic platform offered fans an opportunity to create art using the soft drink company's logo through AI-generated images. Allowing users to create thousands of unique art pieces without AI would be difficult, if not impossible, the researchers said.
"That's an example of when consumers can easily understand why the advertiser used AI," Choi said. But advertisements where AI is used unnecessarily, such as creating animation that could be made by human designers, can leave consumers feeling upset or unnerved. In the case of Coca-Cola's 2025 holiday commercial, those feelings led to one YouTube commenter calling the ad "the most profitable commercial in Pepsi's history." Some consumer concerns arise from the uncanny valley effect, where a human-like machine induces feelings of unease.
"We're basically programmed to look at everything, whether human or object, and make snap judgments about them," said Magee, associate professor of integrated marketing communication. "We make these quick decisions, but then our conscious mind reflects and thinks, 'Machines do not feel, but this machine is telling me that it does.' "That's where this conflict comes from, when something is almost human, but not quite." Using AI to try to engender an emotion, such as a generated depiction of a hurt or hungry child, can leave consumers feeling tricked, the researchers said. "Marketers need to be very careful to remind people that they are an organization of people, not just a brand and not just a company," Magee said.
"It's easy to think of an organization as something impersonal, and to counteract that, you need to underline the human aspect. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. d research that matter—daily or weekly. "For any organization, whether it's for-profit or nonprofit, the problem comes when something they've created feels artificial or contrived.
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