COKE VS. JAGUAR: WHICH BRAND DID IT BETTER?

This past week, two brands dominated ad industry chatter: Coke and Jaguar. Both released spots that went wildly viral, though much of the sentiment was quite negative. Despite one brand being an industry leader and the other struggling for survival, the result was the same: tons of buzz.

So which brand buzzed better? Here are my thoughts—but I’d love to hear yours!

COKE’S LOSS OF HUMANITY

First, let’s dive into Coke’s completely AI-generated holiday ad, “The Magic Is Coming.”

Coke’s slogan used to be “The Real Thing.” There is nothing “real” about this spot. The brand’s current slogan is “Taste the Feeling.” People are calling this campaign “soulless,” “terrifying,” and “a monstrosity.” My favorite: “a creepy, dystopian nightmare.” Those are not feelings I want to taste—especially during the holidays.

Why did Coke do it? There is almost always value in being first to market, and this is the first major brand to use AI to create a flagship commercial. (Yes, I know Toys “R” Us released an AI-generated spot earlier this year, but they don’t have the reach of Coke—as evidenced by how few people even heard about that fiasco.)

Sure, Coke can check the “innovation” box. But was it at the expense of their brand purpose: to refresh the world and make a difference? A resounding maybe. Coke’s image has long been connected to community, to the common man, to humanity. The brand’s holiday commercials have traditionally captured this in beautiful, sometimes tear-jerking vignettes. Not this season.

Instead, many soda drinkers are asking why Coke would take jobs away from animators—suggesting it may have been a cost-cutting move to fund executive bonuses. Yikes.

In the past, this type of backlash would have led to crisis communications teams swooping in to save the day. But we’re not really seeing that now, are we?

That’s because Coke knew exactly what it was doing and took this risk in the name of innovation. As the most popular soft drink in the world, owning 69% of the U.S. cola market in 2023, Coke might feel a bit untouchable. However, they are operating in a declining category, thanks to health and wellness trends and the ongoing surge of beverage options, so innovation is top of mind.

I believe this commercial speaks to something bigger: the reduced impact of today’s shortened news cycle and the fast-paced digital landscape. This is emboldening brands to build buzz with less concern for long-term damage. Of course, companies can still find themselves at the center of consumer outrage, as we saw with the Bud Light boycott, but the chances of suffering lasting repercussions appear to be diminishing. This doesn’t negate the value of a strong brand, but it’s an interesting trend marketers should monitor.

JAGUAR’S HAIL MARY

Jaguar’s sales have plummeted, and the brand has lost relevance. As one of the first brands my agency ever worked on, this makes me sad. I could wax poetic about all the reasons I’ve loved this brand—and anglophiles and auto aficionados might do the same. But looking wistfully to the past won’t help this brand build a future.

The new “Copy Nothing” ad that launched Jaguar’s reimagined, cat-free rebrand signals the company isn’t looking back. They’re looking ahead—to create some sort of future for their new models (none of which will be available for over a year). The ad, featuring bold colors, androgynous costuming, and a barren spacescape, aims to show Jaguar’s commitment to doing something different.

You can’t deny it’s different. The message is clear: something new is coming. But what exactly? Viewers are left with no clues about upcoming car designs, only abstract phrases like “create exuberant,” “live vivid,” “delete ordinary,” and the final tagline: “copy nothing.” Jaguar’s new minimalist, type-driven logo punctuates this thought in the last frame. Apparently, they won’t even be copying themselves.

Consumers immediately lambasted the spot, which Jaguar claims was viewed over 163 million times on its socials in the first week. One top comment declared the company had “killed an iconic brand.” Other reactions ranged from harmless critiques—comparing the ad to a bad '70s space movie—to hateful, politically charged comments surrounding wokeness. Jaguar’s Managing Director has since publicly condemned the “vile hatred and intolerance.”

Will this turn into a political flashpoint for Jaguar, further harming sales? Or will the public simply forget or move on by the time new models are unveiled in 2026? Based on today’s short news cycle, you know which way I'm leaning—and the intrigue created by this ad could actually help amplify their eventual relaunch.

WHICH BRAND DID IT BETTER?

In the end, I think Jaguar’s human-created weirdness offers a bigger brand benefit than Coke’s emotionally flat AI-generated spot. While the struggling car company at least used actual humans to provoke a response, the soda giant seemed to lose some of its storied humanity.

This is an interesting time for marketers. Those pushing boundaries will help us all find the new normal—and that new normal will almost certainly involve constant change.

But in the end, I believe emotional connection will remain a powerful force. So I’ll leave you with this very human, low-tech Pepsi ad from 1995. It works just as well now as it did then—and if I were Pepsi, I’d seize the opportunity to re-release it immediately.