Coca-Cola has made a range of irresponsible decisions that angered the public and harmed the planet. On the scale from one to world's worst plastic polluter six years running, a mistake in an ad isn't the worst thing the company can do. However, there are underlying problems that Fortune detailed.
What's happening?
Coca-Cola recently ran an ad featuring instances of the brand's name in classic literature, sharing quotes and attributing them to their authors. It cited Stephen King's The Shining, V.S. Naipaul's A House for Mr. Biswas, and Extreme Metaphors, which it attributed to J.G. Ballard.
Just one problem: Ballard never wrote a book called Extreme Metaphors, and the quote used never appeared in any of his books.
Instead, it came from a book of his interviews titled Extreme Metaphors and edited by Dan O'Hara and Simon Sellars.
"The sequence of words being typed out by the imagined J.G. Ballard in the ad was never written by him, only spoken, and the only person ever to type that exact sequence out in English is me," O'Hara told 404Media. He pointed out that the ad even contains a typo in that passage.
So, how did these wires get crossed? Marketing agency VML Media, which worked with Coca-Cola on the ad campaign, told 404Media that artificial intelligence was used "in the initial research phase to identify books with brand mentions," though the references were supposed to be checked manually afterward.
This isn't the first time Coca-Cola has gotten backlash for using AI in an ad; its 2024 Christmas commercials were called "soulless" and found unsettling by many viewers because they were generated by AI.
Why is the mistake in this commercial important?
First of all, the correct attribution of creators' work is both a moral and legal issue. The creators of the ad reached out to the copyright holders of the other quotes to make sure they approved of this usage and should have done the same in this case.
Second, the use of AI to create Coca-Cola ads continues to be concerning. Generative AI, which can create video or answer questions in a chat format, uses massive amounts of energy and water. This drives up energy costs, creates pollution, contributes to increasing water scarcity, and raises the temperature of the planet.
What's being done about Coca-Cola's AI use?
Online backlash against Coca-Cola shows that the public is not willing to let this type of irresponsible behavior pass. If you want to hold the corporation accountable, you can support more thoughtful and eco-friendly brands instead.
TCD Picks » Moms Clean Air Force
💡 Join a group of concerned mothers, fathers, and caregivers by signing petitions to fight for children's health
|
Do you think America has a plastic waste problem? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Definitely 👍 
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
