Throughout the year 2023, Coca-Cola has integrated generative AI technology from OpenAI and Stable Diffusion into its advertising strategies, launching multiple experiential marketing campaigns.
These initiatives highlight the profound impact of AI on marketing, fusing technology with creativity to connect with audiences in innovative and captivating manners.
Continue reading to delve into the six advertising and marketing campaigns developed by Coca-Cola in 2023 utilizing generative AI technology.
1. Introducing an AI Chatbot on Instagram Featuring Local Search Results
Coca-Cola’s AI chatbot, showcased through an Instagram newsfeed advertisement, links individuals to local eateries in their vicinity for the “perfect meal” via direct messaging.
Upon discovering the ideal restaurant, users can seamlessly navigate to OpenTable for further information or to secure a reservation.
The local search outcomes provided by Coca-Cola’s AI chatbot in Instagram direct messages are presumably powered by Bing, given that:
- Coca-Cola integrates OpenAI technology for certain generative AI encounters.
- Microsoft introduced OpenTable in Bing AI chat to assist users in finding nearby dining establishments.
- Microsoft collaborated with Meta to introduce Bing search to Meta AI chatbots.
Screenshot from Instagram, December 2023
2. Unveiling an AI Image Generation Tool Utilizing GPT-4 And DALL·E
In February, Bain & Company disclosed a partnership with OpenAI to provide companies like Coca-Cola with advanced methods to leverage GPT-4 and DALL·E.
Through this innovative AI technology, Coca-Cola introduced the Real Magic platform, enabling users to craft original artwork using resources from Coca-Cola’s archives.
During the holiday season, visitors could design AI-generated Christmas cards for their loved ones.
Screenshot from Google/Coca-Cola, December 2023
Coca-Cola promoted its holiday AI card generator via Google Ads in search. An illustration of the ad in a mobile search is depicted above, while a desktop browser search ad example is displayed below.
The 20 locations nearby encompass convenience stores and other establishments typically vending Coca-Cola products.
Screenshot from Google, December 2023
Additionally, Coca-Cola launched an advertising campaign on Facebook and Instagram to introduce the Real Magic holiday app to social media audiences.
Screenshot from Facebook Ad Library, December 2023
It is noteworthy that Coca-Cola offers distinct Terms of Service for AI, stipulating that users must be at least 18 years old to utilize the AI card generator. In contrast, OpenAI mandates users to be 13 years or older according to its TOS.
3. Hosting a Competition for User-Created Content
Earlier in the year, following the announcement of its collaboration with OpenAI, Coca-Cola invited creators to partake in the Create Real Magic contest to produce original artwork using branded Coca-Cola assets, GPT-4, and DALL·E.
Artists in specific regions could submit their creations for a chance to have them featured on Coca-Cola’s digital billboards in prominent locations like New York’s Times Square and London’s Piccadilly Circus.
This campaign illustrated how a brand can inspire enthusiasts with minimal graphic design skills to generate user-generated content (UGC). It also provided Coca-Cola with an opportunity to refine the AI experience before launching the holiday card generator.
Screenshot from Coca-Cola, December 2023
Coca-Cola brands such as Topo Chico share AI-generated images on social media, acknowledging that AI has significantly boosted the volume of artwork produced by fans.
Screenshot from Instagram, December 2023
4. Video Marketing Showcasing Redesigned Artwork
Coca-Cola continued to promote Real Magic through “Masterpiece,” a video featuring reimagined art across various eras.
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The AI-generated art incorporating Coca-Cola branded elements is also accessible as collectible digital assets.
5. Introducing an Out-Of-Home Advertising Venture
Coca-Cola Creations concluded the year with a weeklong OOH advertising initiative named “Destination Y3000” in Las Vegas, unveiling the new Y3000 flavor, the first co-created by humans and AI. Selman Careaga from Coca-Cola shared insights on the process in an interview.
The event featured dynamic projections, showcasing futuristic cityscapes and a world envisioned by generative AI on The Sphere’s Exosphere.
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If you are curious about the cost of an OOH experience at The Sphere, purported rates were leaked earlier in the year:
Advertising rates for the $2.3 billion MSG Sphere have been leaked.
• \(450,000 for the day
• \)650,000 for the weekThese prices include collaboration with MSG’s 300+ designers on the creative aspect, estimating 4.7 million daily impressions (300k in person & 4.4M on social media).
Astounding. pic.twitter.com/mNRyyS4OYK
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) October 2, 2023
Google’s Endorsement of Machine Learning for Creative Content
The Sphere recently featured the artwork of renowned media artist Refik Anadol, who harnessed AI’s power to create “Machine Hallucinations: The Sphere.”
Since his Google AMI Residency in 2016, Anadol has transformed extensive datasets of space, nature, and urban landscapes into dynamic visualizations, unveiling hidden facets of reality through generative AI algorithms like DCGAN, PGAN, and StyleGAN.
Google’s Artists + Machine Intelligence (AMI) program is a venture dedicated to nurturing a community of creative professionals and researchers working with machine learning.
6. Implementing an Augmented Reality Encounter With Stable Diffusion
In conjunction with the OOH advertising experience in Las Vegas, Coca-Cola employed experiential product marketing by launching an augmented reality (AR) encounter for Y3000 using Stable Diffusion.
This experience immerses users into a “future” setting envisioned by generative AI when they capture a photograph of any environment.
Screenshot from Coca-Cola, December 2023
This feature is exclusively available for smartphone users, offering a QR code for visitors accessing the experience via a desktop browser.
Screenshot from Coca-Cola, December 2023
An AI image detector, attempting to recognize images created with DALL·E, Stable Diffusion, and other prominent AI image generators, labeled the QR code as “likely” AI-generated.
Screenshot from AI or Not, December 2023
In Conclusion
Throughout 2023, Coca-Cola’s strategic integration of generative AI technologies from OpenAI and Stable Diffusion signified a notable evolution in its advertising and marketing strategies.
From interactive AI chatbots and user-generated content competitions to immersive augmented reality encounters and innovative OOH advertising, these endeavors underscored Coca-Cola’s dedication to merging state-of-the-art technology with inventive marketing to captivate audiences in fresh and dynamic ways.
These initiatives not only showcase the brand’s innovative spirit but also serve as a wellspring of inspiration for marketers and advertisers contemplating the future applications of generative AI in brand promotion.
