Marketing Professor Weighs in on Coca-Cola’s 2024 Holiday Ads

Colleen Kirk, D.P.S., professor of marketing and management, was interviewed by the San Francisco radio station KCBS regarding consumer reactions to Coca-Cola’s 2024 holiday ads, which were generated by artificial intelligence (AI). Kirk, who has researched how consumers react when brands use AI to craft emotional marketing content, finds that this approach often backfires. When consumers learn that the content was generated by a robot, they perceive the brand as inauthentic and, as a result, are less willing to purchase the brand’s products or services.